


More

by Rmhraga



Category: Sanditon (TV 2019), Sanditon - Jane Austen, Welcome to Sanditon
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:28:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 38,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28763328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rmhraga/pseuds/Rmhraga
Summary: Modern AU. All the little things that lead up to a romantic marriage prpopsal, lots of romance, a little angst, plenty of salacious sex and a promise of an HEA at the end.I am having trouble deciding how to get my other story, "Treasure" to go in he direction I want and this story has been rattling around in brain. I woke up for several mornings with the storyline in my head, so I took a break from "Treasure " for a couple of days to write this.*****There is lots of graphic sex in this.  If that's not your thing then try  my other two stories.*****
Comments: 115
Kudos: 164





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I originally wrote this story as 16 complete chapters, but I am getting such positive feed back and many requests for more so I am adding more to "More". Please forgive the laziness of me posting the first 16 chapters as one.

Chapter 1

Sidney was nervous and pacing the garden. He was thinking about what to say to her. Maybe it was ridiculous at this point but once the idea had solidified in his mind, he couldn’t let it go. It was all he thought about. He’d known Charlotte for almost as long as he could remember. Their families had been friends from the time they were small children. She had been his best friend for his whole adult life. They’d met at Sidney’s family resort. The Heywood family had come for a summer vacation and stayed for two weeks at the Sanditon Seaside Resort and Spa. On the last day of their vacation a hurricane off the coast had suddenly turned and hit shore, knocking out the power and closing roads due to downed trees and flooding leaving any hope of transportation out impossibility. The resort was mostly empty as most vacationers had already gone home at the end of the season. The Heywood’s were from a little country village and their school didn’t start for another week, so they’d decided to stay and take advantage of the beach resort at its quiet time. 

It had taken a week for power to be restored and the roads to be cleared enough for travel. They had to make due with canned meals and set up sleeping pallets in the main lobby with all the windows so they had enough light. The kids weren’t allowed to play outside unless they were supervised by an adult as there were too many downed trees and power lines. So they spent the week playing indoor games and making tent forts and going out to the beach to swim and collect treasure when they could talk an adult into it. Between the two families there were sixteen children. Their parents made the best of a horrible situation and the kids had thought it was the best vacation ever. It had only taken that amount of time for Mrs. Heywood and his mum to make friends that would last a lifetime. Sidney remembered back to the first time he’d met Charlotte. Thinking back now he might have loved her at first sight, not the way a man loves a woman, but the feelings were there even then. At eight years old he was used to babies. He had a two year old sister Diana and a three month old baby brother Arthur. Diana was a quiet and shy toddler who could spend hours playing quietly on the floor with blocks or her doll. His baby brother was colicky so all he did was cry. Charlotte was different from the start. She was a beautiful cherub of a girl with a mass of curly brown hair and the most beautiful big brown eyes Sidney had ever seen. She was always laughing and doing. She smiled up at him with her few teeth and put her hands out to be picked up. She melted his heart right from the start. They were inseparable for the rest of the week. Where ever Sidney went, little Charlotte wanted to follow. She was smart and liked to get into all kinds of mischief. Their parents would never believe him that it was all Charlotte’s idea when they got caught with their hands in the cookie jar, but even then he could refuse her nothing. 

They Heywood’s came every summer after that for the whole season and stayed at the largest villa on the property. The Parkers wouldn’t hear of taking any money from their best friends, so as a quid pro quo, the Parkers came to stay for the fall school break on the Heywood’s family farm. Those were some of Sidney’s best memories. It was so different on the farm. He got to ride horses, milk cows, feed chickens and get thoroughly dirty without being admonished by his mom. There was also a large creek on the property where they could fish and swim. 

Over the years it got to the point where the families spent most holidays together too, neither having much other family. So it got to be that Christmas’s, birthdays and milestones were all celebrated together. Sidney fondly remembered some of Charlotte’s, her first equestrian dressage competition when she was ten. He hadn’t wanted to go; at sixteen he thought it wasn’t cool to attend such a boring sport and he didn’t see why he should have to. His mum made him go anyway saying Charlotte would be heart broken if he wasn’t there. Charlotte walked away with all first place prizes in her age group. Sidney was blown away at the skill and grace of his ten year old friend. She was so excited to show him her ribbons. He knew she had a slight crush on him then, and it was totally embarrassing. He gave her a hug anyway and congratulated her. 

Sidney’s mind floated to when Charlotte was sixteen. She’d filled out in the way that women do by that age and Sidney had started to notice her body. He was twenty two at the time and it made him feel creepy to notice Charlotte’s body, but he couldn’t help it. When had she become so grown up and beautiful? Charlotte had sung in her schools talent show that year. Dressed in a skimpy black dress, make up on her face and high healed black pumps. She sang Britney Spears, “Gimme More” and damn if his body hadn’t reacted to her. He sat in the audience feeling like she was singing just for him. At the time he didn’t think he’d ever been more turned on and was grateful for the program in his hands to hide that fact from everyone else that sat around him. Fortunately she was one of the first performers and he had time to gain control of his body. He felt guilty for the way his body reacted to her, but he couldn’t help it. Charlotte was so beautiful and even at that age she was his best friend. She had finally gotten a cell phone for her birthday that year and she asked Sidney to be her first contact in her phone; he was surprised but pleased. They spent time every day since then texting back and forth every day, little things and big and as they’d gotten older they talked on the phone once or twice a week as well, sharing all the things that happened in their lives. 

By the time Sidney realized he was in love with her and felt she was old enough to be with him she was a freshman in college at Oxford. He was six years older then her and in grad school at Cambridge business school working on his masters in finance. He already had a degree in hotel management, but he wasn’t sure that was the right fit for him. He was finally ready to talk to her to see if maybe she felt the same about him. They’d made a date to get together for dinner to catch up and he thought he might be brave enough to bring it up then, but the dinner never happened. That afternoon Sidney got the call from Tom that would change his life forever. His parents had been in a car accident coming home from the theatre the night before, they were both gone. Tom told him to come home. 

Sidney sat in his bedroom in shock. He didn’t know what to do, or how to feel. He felt nothing. He texted Charlotte asking if she could come to his place instead of the restaurant when she was finished classes for the day. When Charlotte arrived she wasn’t expecting what she saw when Sidney opened the door. He looked like death. She put her arms around his middle and just held him as he cried. Finally when he’d calmed, she quietly asked him what was wrong. He told her what Tom had said about his parents as he cried all over again. Charlotte had never seen Sidney like this and she grieving their loss too and wasn’t sure what to do to help him, so she called her mum. Her mom was devastated by the news and through her tears she told Charlotte that all Sidney needed was for her to be there. To make sure he ate and drank properly and to maybe be the one to drive him home. 

So that is how Sidney found himself in Charlotte’s car driving home to Sanditon to prepare a funeral for his parents. He and his siblings would never have gotten through it without the Heywood’s and Tom’s new wife Mary. They helped make all the necessary arrangements and then when it was all over the Heywood’s took Diana and Arthur to live with them. It was decided they would be better off with the family then here in Sanditon with Tom and Mary. Tom had the responsibility of running the family business and had just gotten married, it was thought that getting the children away from Sanditon with all the family memories surrounding them, might be what they needed to heal.

Sidney lost himself after his parent’s deaths. He took a leave of absence from school and decided to go abroad and do some humanitarian work for a while. His world had fallen apart and he just needed to get away from anything or anyone who reminded him of home. The only one he kept in touch with regularly was Charlotte; he still texted back and fourth with her every day, little things though, nothing substantial. It took two years for Sidney to come home. He finally felt ready to face his family again and he was excited to see Charlotte. Maybe he would finally be able to tell her how much she meant to him. 

Charlotte picked him up from the airport. Sidney held her for a long time. When they parted, she just smiled up at him. She was glad he was home. He looked good, tan and healthy, not like the last time she’d seen him after the funeral. They chatted the whole way back to school like the old friends they were. He told her all about his travels and how satisfying it was to be of service to people who needed it. She told him all about how both of their families were doing. He’d only kept the slightest bit in touch with them. Only enough to let them know he wasn’t dead somewhere. He felt a bit ashamed about that, but he just wasn’t able to deal with their sadness amongst his own grief. 

Over dinner that evening Charlotte told him animatedly about her new boyfriend. He was an architecture student and came from a well to do family that had one of the largest architectural firms in London. They had been dating for a year and she really liked him. She thought he might propose to her over the Christmas break, he’d been dropping hints. She wasn’t sure she was ready to get married and she wasn’t totally sure she loved James enough to be his wife. She cared him, he was wonderful. He treated her kindly and was always concerned for her. He was a good man and came from a good family that she felt comfortable with, but she just wasn’t sure it was love. On the other hand, it was a good basis to start a marriage and she was sure the feelings would come later over time. 

Sidney was just quiet while she talked. Inside he was falling apart. He couldn’t believe he’d been so stupid to miss his chance. He had meant to tell her all this time how he felt about her; obviously he had waited too long. He had been ready to tell her the day he found out about his parents accident, but right after the funeral didn’t seem to be the right time and then he’d needed to get away and telling her and then leaving hadn’t seemed the right thing to do either, so he hadn’t told her before he left. He had not intended to be gone so long, but one project had lead to another and two years had gone by before he felt it was time to come home. Mary and Tom had just had their first baby and he wanted to be here for them. She had never given him any indication that she reciprocated his feelings anyway, so maybe it was for the best. It turned out that James hadn’t proposed just asked if she’d move in with him and she’d accepted. 

Chapter 2

Things went back to normal for Sidney. He got back to his masters program. He’d made amends with his family for being absent for two years. Tom, Mary and the Heywood’s had easily forgiven him. His younger siblings were a different matter. He had lots of making up to do with them. They were still young and felt like he’d just up and abandoned them when they needed him most. He regretted it and he was working on making it up to them with regular trips to the Heywood farm and also to pick them up and take them to Sanditon for the weekends. 

It was around that time that Eliza walked into his life. He should say bumped as she’d walked right into him in the hallway at school. They were in the same grad program. She was like a tornado. She sucked him in and taken over his whole life. She was beautiful in a classic way. Tall, although shorter then him, with a lean athletic body, long light blond hair and beautiful ice blue eyes. She was from a prominent family in London and took him to all the posh parties, which weren’t really his thing, but hell what could a man do. He still talked with Charlotte regularly on the phone and they texted every day still, but she seemed happy with James, so he needed to move on. Eliza seemed to fill that spot nicely, so he let her in completely. By the midterm Eliza was talking about moving in together and making their relationship more permanent, so he’d asked her to move in with him, it seemed to make her happy. They had been living together for the last four months pretty happily he thought and were both getting ready to graduate. She was dropping hints like crazy about what they would do when they graduated so Sidney figured maybe he should propose to her and make her happy. He wasn’t sure he was ready to be a husband, but he didn’t want to loose her either. 

It was the perfect day. They had just graduated from their grad program the day before during a harrowing rain storm, but today dawned with blue skies and birds singing. Sidney was nervous. He wanted his proposal to go well and it was important to get all the details correct. Eliza was off with her girlfriends at the Spa. He told her he had errands to run and wouldn’t be home till late in afternoon so they could get ready for their dinner out. He went to pick up the ring from the jeweler and called again to make sure of his reservation at Eliza’s favorite place. They would have a lovely romantic dinner and then he would suggest a walk in the park, where he would propose under the moonlight with the river in the background. He thought she would be happy with the romance of it. They could have a party soon to announce their engagement to friends and family. 

He decided a run might help his nerves, but he wasn’t dressed for it. He made a detour home to get his running gear. When he got home he thought it was strange that Eliza’s car was in the car park, but didn’t think too much of it as he got in the elevator. Maybe she had just gotten done early, or maybe she had just been excited to come home to him. Either way he was happy she was home. She might like to come for a run with him. As he entered the apartment music was playing. That wasn’t unusual she liked music and often had it on softly in the flat. He didn’t see her on the first floor, so he figured she was in the bedroom. He jogged up the stairs and entered the room tripping over a jacket on the floor. He called her name, but she didn’t answer. As he rounded the corner to the main part of the room, he couldn’t make sense of what he was seeing. Eliza was in their bed sat astride a man Sidney thought might be her yoga instructor. He was so shocked he just stood for a moment watching them. She never looked like that when he made love to her. She kind of made him feel sometimes like it was a chore. Since this was his first real relationship, he just thought that all couples had moments like that. It would surely get better once they were settled, right? Anger finally started to kick in and he walked out to turn the music off. When he came back in the room Eliza had finally spotted him. Instead of shame, he saw anger on her face. She yelled at him and asked him what he was doing there, like it wasn’t his home. The man got up abruptly seeing Sidney’s murderous look and picked up his clothes and left the apartment. She tried to explain that it was nothing, that she didn’t have feelings for the other man; he was just some good fun. Sidney asked her if she was unhinged, which only made her angry again. He said she’d been dropping hints of marriage since they’d moved in together and asked her if she realized that he was going to propose to her that evening. She told him not to worry; she’d be faithful to him if they were married, even if the sex wasn’t that exciting. That was the last straw. She didn’t seem the least bit sorry that she’d cheated on him and she still had the audacity to believe he would still ask her to marry him. He told her to get out. She tried to come over to hug him and tell him he was being silly. That you didn’t throw away something like they had over something as trivial as a romp with a yoga instructor, it just wasn’t done. He threw her clothes at her and roared at her to get out, and get out now! He never wanted to see her again and he would have her things packed and sent to her parent’s house. She had never seen Sidney this angry and was a little frightened. She decided it was best to get dressed and leave and let him cool down. She was sure he would come to the conclusion that he still wanted her after a little time. He never saw or spoke to her again, not for her lack of trying.

It didn’t take long for Sidney to get over Eliza, much to his surprise. He wasn’t even angry anymore after a few months of reflection all he felt was relief. He had cared for Eliza, but he wasn’t sure it was love. He had no feelings of she was the “One” like people talked about. They really hadn’t had much in common except that both of their families were well to do. She was a city girl and liked shopping, gossiping with her girlfriends and going to fancy parties, whereas Sidney liked long walks on the beach, a quiet dinner at home and a good book by the fire. As much as he hated to admit she was right in the end, the sex really wasn’t that good. At the time he’d just thought it took time. Like anything else you needed to practice to get good at it. He thought they would figure it all out together. So, he’d been able to put her out of his mind fairly quickly, sold his apartment in London and moved back to Sanditon.

Charlotte was in her senior year at university at the time when he called and told her about his breakup. He was angry at Eliza’s betrayal, but he didn’t seem very sad about it. They still talked several times a week and texted everyday. Even more so since Sidney and his girlfriend had broken up. She’d never really gotten on well with Eliza. They had nothing in common and she couldn’t really see what Sidney saw in her, but she was a good friend and kept that all to her self. Sidney was a grown man who knew his own mind and if he loved her, Charlotte would try to make the best of it. She thought to herself again that she and Sidney had so much more in common and had often wondered why he never asked her out on a date, but maybe he felt awkward about it like she did. They had been best friends for so long; it was hard to make a step in the romance direction. What if it didn’t work out between them and then it ruined their friendship. Then every family event would be tense and awful, so she had kept her feelings for Sidney to herself all these years. She had always loved him, passionately for as far back as she could remember. She just always figured he felt like she was a little sister, so she never told him. 

She felt mildly guilty about her train of thought. James was already jealous of the time she spent talking with Sidney. He would be through the roof if he knew she had harbored secret feelings for him her whole life. It didn’t really matter though, because Sidney would never see her as a love interest. She and James were getting ready to graduate and James was getting twitchy again like he did when he’d asked her to move in with him. She felt like a proposal was imminent. Like the last time a year and a half ago, she still wasn’t sure she wanted to get married. She liked James. Their relationship was good and it was easy. They never really argued. He was kind and respectful, very nice looking and the sex was pretty good. No fireworks, but a nice steady burn. He would make a good husband and he loved kids. She couldn’t decide what was wrong with her. Most women would kill for the relationship like that. She just felt like something was missing, but she didn’t know what. She thought maybe she’d talk to Sidney about it. Maybe he would have an idea about what she should do, she texted to invite him to dinner. James was out of town on a job interview, so it was a good time to meet up. She called James to let him know she was going to Sanditon at the last minute to visit with Tom, Mary and the kids. She called Mary to let her know the plan and she packed a bag and got in the car.

Chapter 3

Sidney was excited that Charlotte was coming to Sanditon for the weekend. It had been a while since he’d seen her in person. He tried not to get too excited about her visit. He had to reign himself in, she was still happily with James and just because his relationship with Eliza fell apart, that didn’t mean Charlotte was free, or even returned his feelings. Still, he was happy she was coming. He wanted to show her his new flat and get her thoughts on how to spruce it up a bit. It still felt empty. She wanted to take him to dinner; he wondered what was up with that. It wasn’t like they’d never had a meal out together, but usually when they were together in Sanditon it was with family. 

Maybe she had something important to talk to him about and felt like she needed some privacy. Tom could be quite a busy body always up in everyone’s business. Maybe she broke up with James. Should he dare to hope? He was being ridiculous of course getting any hopes up. Surely she would have said something over the phone if they’d broken up. They pretty much told each other everything, all the time. She wouldn’t have held that back. He needed to get a hold of himself and thought he’d take the rest of the afternoon off work and have a nice brisk swim to help him clear his head. 

As Charlotte pulled up to Trafalgar House, all the kids spilled out to greet her. Alicia was the oldest at eight, Jenny was six, Henry was four and little James was nine months. Mary had her hands full. It was lucky she was able to afford some help as she had a full time job at the resort doing all their marketing as well. Tom, Mary and Sidney were still all at work according to the nanny, so Charlotte thought it would be fun to take everyone to the beach to play for a while. She and Anne packed everyone up and got snacks and toys together and off they went. The day was a little overcast and it was a little windy so it was cool at the beach. It was good they’d bundled up little James in the baby carrier. Charlotte wanted to hold and cuddle him and it kept her warm too. James got fussy while they were all making sand castles. She thought it might be nap time so she got up and walked with him to comfort him until he fell asleep. The others were deep into making their sand castle with nanny. It had been since the summer since she’d walked the private beach behind Trafalgar House. She’d missed how beautiful it was, even on a grey day this secluded double cove was breathtaking. James was happily babbling but his eyes were droopy. It wouldn’t be long before he was asleep. She was enjoying her walk and the view, she missed being out in nature in the city. James was interviewing in New York at a prestigious architectural firm. She wasn’t about the possibility of moving out of country. If James did propose, should she accept, this might mean moving to New York. The idea made her frown. That was so far away from her family and friends. She’d never thought of moving out of England before, and suddenly the idea gave her a lot of anxiety, another thing to talk to her best friend about at dinner tomorrow. 

Charlotte was lost in her thoughts as she rounded the large rock formation that separated the two private coves. As she made it around and could see the sea again, she stopped to look down into the small pool between the rocks. She had always looking for sea creatures. She startled when she heard some splashing nearby thinking it could be a large fish that jumped. As she looked up she noticed a towel in the sand not far away and a pile of clothes. Hmmm. More splashing around the other side of the rock pool she wondered that way to see what it was. Turning the corner she had the vague impression of a person in the distance moving towards her at a rapid pace. That accounted for the splashing, what was shocking about it was that the person was as naked as the day he was born, and it was none other then her best friend Sidney Parker! Oh My God, he was beautiful. There was no other word to describe him. All at once she was embarrassed and turned on like crazy. It hit her like a jolt of electricity when his eyes met hers. They both just stood there opened mouthed for a moment. It wasn’t like she didn’t know that Sidney was good looking, or that she was attracted to him. She had always been attracted to him, for as long as she could remember. She knew he worked out regularly as well, so it wasn’t surprise that he was so well defined. He was muscular in all the right places. Slightly bulky arm and leg muscles, a nice defined chest and six pack, but not over done. She’d seen him in his swim trunks before, so none of that was shocking. She already knew he had a smattering of dark chest hair and a dark happy trail that started at his belly button, but she had never seen him fully unclothed before and he made her suddenly hot and flushed, especially with the cheeky smile forming on his mouth. She could only smile back as she looked at him and took him in from head to toe. He had a deep v formed by his stomach and leg muscles, and his happy trail lead to a lot of very curly hair and one of the biggest penis’s she’d ever seen and she had seen all of her brothers and several boyfriends naked. She suddenly had to grab the large rock next to her for support. “If you’re done, could you hand me the towel”, he said in a low voice? She couldn’t come up with anything to say, and she couldn’t look away, so she bent and handed him the towel. Once he was covered they just stood there smiling for a minute and Charlotte finally rambled,” I was just walking baby James. He was getting fussy making sand castles and was getting sleepy. I thought a walk might calm him. I thought you’d be at work. It never occurred to me you would be here swimming, let alone doing it without swim trunks. Isn’t the water cold? Aren’t you cold? Obviously not considering…” Here she just stopped talking before she finished what was about to come out of her mouth. Charlotte took a deep breath and Sidney just chuckled. She was red from her cheeks down to the neckline of her clothes and he thought she had never been so beautiful. When she looked up at him again he had a look on his face she’d never seen before. It was intense and serious and it caused Charlotte to take another deep breath. It pulled her from inside. The longing she felt was so strong, she just turned and walked away. She didn’t see the frown on Sidney’s face as she left. 

Sidney put his clothes on as quickly as he could with damp skin and raced after her. When he caught up, she was sitting next to the kids digging in the sand. It wasn’t an appropriate time to ask her what just happened between them. He had the sad thought that maybe his feelings were all one sided. He didn’t think that when she was ogling him as he walked out of the ocean. He’s been shocked to find her standing there and then his body reacted to the way she was so obviously admiring him and he was a little embarrassed at not being able to control his body. Still as he grew hard, despite the cold and the wind, she hadn’t turned away. Instead she stood there smiling at him in a way he’d never seen before. His body had only reacted more. Right now he was aching for her in a way he’d never experienced before with anyone. He needed to get a grip on himself, no, not in that way…She was happily with James. How was he going to face her when they were alone and could talk? Should he tell how he felt? Should he finally after all this time tell her he loved her. Was that fair to her to upend her life like that? On the other hand was it fair to keep it from her if she might feel the same way? 

Sidney’s thoughts were interrupted by Alicia asking if he would take them for ice-cream. It was still a few hours before family dinner at Trafalgar House, so what the hell. He told his niece yes, much to her delight all the kids were cheering, it would be a good diversion from where his thoughts were taking him. Ice cream eaten they took the children back to the house and let Anne go for the evening. He and Charlotte could handle the kids until their parents came home. Anne was more then happy to have the afternoon off and thanked them profusely. Charlotte went to put baby James down in his crib and Sidney helped the munchkins wipe all the sand off their feet and got them a snack. Then Henry and Jenny were to have a rest and Alicia some quiet time in her room. Sidney didn’t usually follow all of Mary’s schedules when he had the kids, but today he wanted to have some private time with Charlotte and the kids didn’t put up too much resistance. 

While Charlotte was putting James down she took some extra time while rocking him to sleep. She need a few minutes away from Sidney to cool down. Seeing him on the beach like that had stirred all of her feelings for him up to the surface. She had been suppressing those feelings for so long she didn’t often think of them and was able to manage on the few occasions when they came up. Today they hit her like a ton of bricks, seeing him naked like that made her want him badly. She felt guilty. She was with James and these feelings weren’t fair to him. She needed to put them back in their box again. Baby James was out and she deftly placed him in his crib and quietly walked out of the room grabbing the baby monitor as she went. 

Chapter 4

It was strangely quiet down stairs. Sidney must have put everyone down for quiet time. Charlotte took a deep breath. She wasn’t sure why that made her nervous. Perhaps it was because she would have to be alone with him right now while all these feelings for him were bubbling up. She didn’t know if she would be able to keep a lid on it right now with him so close. “Come on you coward, your not one to back down just because something is hard” she said to herself. Sidney was standing in the living room facing the window with a drink in his hand. He didn’t notice at first when she walked in the room. He was lost in thought. “A penny for your thoughts Mr. Parker”, came out of her mouth?

Why was she being so formal with him? Was she nervous too? Of course she was, she had just seen naked and erect! How embarrassing. His mouth was dry and he’d needed a drink. He didn’t think he could get through a conversation with her without a drink to fortify him. “Would you like a drink, Charlotte? I’m having one”. 

Why did she have to feel it so strongly when he said her name in that low seductive voice of his? Had his voice always been a turn on? She’d always loved his deep voice. He used to read to her when they were younger and she had always felt so comforted by his voice. When had it gotten sexy? Why hadn’t she noticed it before? “Yes, I’ll have what you’re having”. “Scotch, you want a scotch? I didn’t think you liked scotch very much”. She told him it wasn’t her favorite, but she needed something strong right now and scotch was just as good as any. His stomach did a summersault when she said that. She needed a strong drink to have this conversation, that didn’t bode well for him he thought. He poured her drink and handed it to her. Their fingers touched just a bit and for some reason just that simple touch excited him again. Frustrated by his body, he turned back to the window. 

Charlotte noticed the movement. Why wouldn’t he look at her? Surely he can’t be that embarrassed about the cove, they had been best friends for so many years, it can’t have been that mortifying. Maybe he was embarrassed at the way she’d reacted. If he only thought of her as a sister, her reaction would make him really uncomfortable. He broke the silence,”Charlotte, I think we should talk. His voice shuddered as he said it. Was he nervous? He didn’t tend to get nervous. What would make him nervous in front of her? Her mind was going a mile a minute. “I think that is a good idea. I…” They were interrupted with the front door opening and Mary and Tom’s voices in the hall.

Extremely frustrated, Sidney greeted his brother and Sister in law. He let out a large sigh that only Charlotte noticed and she smiled over at him. He gave her an answering smile and shrugged, telling her silently, what could they do? Mary and Tom had decided to take the afternoon off and surprise Charlotte since she was visiting. They spent nap time chatting about this and that, what was going on at the resort, how Charlotte’s last semester at school was, how her boyfriend was, what their Christmas plans were this year. After naps, they played in the garden with the children and then Charlotte went to help Mary with dinner preparations. Tom and Sidney brought the children for a little screen time. Tom deposited baby James in his highchair with a few toys and put the older children in the living room for a little screen time. He asked Sidney for a few minutes and they went off to Tom’s study to have a drink and talk.

Dinner was noisy and bountiful. The ladies had prepared a feast of grilled chicken kabobs, a green salad, roasted tomatoes and some cous cous paired with a nice light pinot grigio, for dessert they’d made tiramisu. Talk centered on the kids and what they were doing in school. Alicia had a play coming up and asked if Charlotte would come and watch. She said of course she would. One of the things Sidney liked the best about Charlotte was how easy she was with children. It came from having so many siblings, but it just made him warm inside thinking about it tonight. Once dinner was over, Tom and Mary put the children to bed while Sidney and Charlotte cleaned up the meal. Between the scotch he’d had with Charlotte earlier, the scotch he’d also had with Tom and the wine at dinner, Sidney was quite inebriated. He didn’t usually drink so much, but he was so frustrated by today’s events he had lost track. The brandy with dessert was one too many, but it was only afterwards, he’d figured that out. 

Sidney was drunk and it was kind of funny. She had rarely seen him drink so much and wondered what was up with him. She put on a pot of coffee and sat him at the kitchen island before he fell down. She gave him a cup to drink and got to work on the dishes. He talked a little, but after a while she noticed he was quiet. When she turned to look at him, he was asleep with his head resting on his elbow. She stared at him for a moment. He was breathtaking in sleep with his face relaxed. She wondered if that is what he would look like to wake up to in the morning. Shocked by her train of thought she got back to the dishes. When she was finished tidying up, she woke him gently and helped him up the stairs to the guest room. It took them a while as he was heavy and not very coherent. He was talking loudly and she was trying to shush him that just made Sidney put his finger to his mouth and make a loud shushing noises. Those made her laugh out loud at him. “Are you laughing at me Charlotte”, he said with a beautiful pout on his lips? Sidney’s lips were made for pouting. The pouting just made her laugh even harder. She tried to stifle her laughing; she didn’t want to wake the children. As they got to his room he stopped laughing and got very serious look on his face and stood upright suddenly, closed the door behind them and pinned her up against it and kissed her senseless. At first her mind was screaming that this was wrong, she was with James, and Sidney was drunk, but quickly she gave in to his demanding lips. She had never been kissed like that. It was hungry and hot like he had been walking through the dessert dying of thirst and she was water. She felt it all the way to her toes. 

When they came up for air Sidney mumbled,” You don’t know how long I have wanted to do that! I love you Charlotte. I love you so much”. She was shocked at his declaration and it made her excited and guilty for that excitement all at the same time. She pushed him back towards the bed and sat him down. He just smiled a sexy half smile at her. She helped him off with his shoes, and pulled on his hands so he’d stand again. She took off his shirt and pants and laid him down and covered him up. She couldn’t help but notice his erection in his fitted boxers. He whispered, “Stay with me Charlotte” and gave her another brilliant smile. Then his look went all serious and intense again. The same look he’d had on the beach when she’d walked off confused by her own feelings. She now understood that look, it was pure desire. She swallowed and turned away, she needed a minute. “Don’t go, please”, he whispered. “I am just going to get you some water”. “Ok”. She walked into the bathroom and ran the tap thinking about what she was about to do. He was drunk, would he regret it in the morning. Would she? She’d thought about them together many times. Fanaticized about him more then she’d like to admit when she was younger. She knew she was in love with him, deep down she’d always known that, she’d always loved him. What did that say about her and James…Poor James…she already knew what that meant for him. How could she possibly agree to marry James when she was in love with Sidney? She felt so foolish and guilty for leading him on. She hadn’t meant to, she cared for James, but she never would have gone out with him if she’d thought she had a chance with Sidney. It would have been no contest. Filling up the glass she went back to the bedroom. Sidney was fast asleep with his arms up over his head and snoring lightly. Charlotte tucked the blanket around him, left the water on the bedside table, turned off the light and went to find her own room. It was just as well. She couldn’t be intimate with Sidney right now. She wouldn’t feel right about it and neither would he. She had to end things with James before she could even entertain the idea of giving herself to Sidney, no matter how strong her feelings were. 

Chapter 5

Sidney woke the next morning at dawn feeling like death. He couldn’t remember the last time he gotten so drunk. Maybe at Babington’s bachelor party, that had been a wild night as Crowe had been in charge of the festivities. He sat up too quickly and that made him nauseous. He saw the water on the bedside table and thought of Charlotte. Oh, shit…memories of last night came flooding in. He’d been good and drunk, but not enough to forget kissing her and telling her he loved her. That kiss, just thinking about it was making him twitch. He’d never had a kiss like that. It was like sailing on a good reach in a strong wind, skiing a fast down hill run and winning the lottery all wrapped in one. It was like having your very first kiss all over again, he’d felt the heat all through his body. 

He went to take a shower. It would help him get his body under control and maybe feel human again. Sidney dressed quickly after his shower. Charlotte having grown up on a farm was an early riser. With any luck they would have time to talk before the little’s woke up and wanted their attention. As he walked towards the kitchen, he could smell coffee, his stomach rumbled, he was hungry. There she was freshly showered with her back to him at the stove. She was making pancakes. She didn’t notice he’d walked in; she had ear buds in her ears and was swaying her hips to the music. She was so sexy. He just watched her dance for a minute. As she turned to grab a plate, she jumped startled that he was there in the doorway. He just chuckled at her. She blushed at being caught dancing in the kitchen, she was so adorable. He just gave her that little half smile that she loved so much. He’d always had that smile when they were younger and they’d gotten caught doing something they shouldn’t. It was a cat that ate the canary smile. He was so sexy. That smile just did things to her. 

Charlotte pulled her ear buds out and finished plating up the pancakes. She pulled the butter from the fridge and warmed up the maple syrup. She poured him a cup of coffee and fixed it just as he liked it, black, with one sugar. They sat down and tucked into their eating. She had figured he would be up early and she wanted time to talk before the rest of the house got up. She also figured he would need something to help settle his stomach and pancakes with chocolate chips were always his favorite. “Did you put chocolate in the pancakes”? “Yes, they are your favorite and I thought you might need them this morning. “Yes, about that. I am sorry for my behavior last night Charlotte”. She frowned at him her forehead wrinkled in the middle while she thought about what he meant. He wondered what she was upset about, he hadn’t said anything but sorry, but he knew that look and she was upset. He took a sip of his coffee and then another while he thought about it. Was she mad he’d kissed her? Maybe she hadn’t enjoyed it as much as he did. That couldn’t be it. He remembered how she’d responded to him. She was as into it as he was. Was she upset that he’d confessed his love for her. Maybe that was it, too much to soon. What an idiot he was. “Charlotte…” She interrupted him and looking down at her plate whispered, “ Please don’t tell me you didn’t mean what you said last night. I don’t think I could take it. To have you tell me you love me, finally after all these years and then to take it back as some drunken ramblings. Please…don’t” There were tears running down her cheeks. It broke his heart. He couldn’t take it and said, “Wait…Wait…Wait…Charlotte, I am not taking it back. It wasn’t one of my finer moments telling you that way, drunk off my ass and slurring my words, but in no way am I taking it back. I love you I have for such a long time. I was going to tell you at dinner that day”. He had to stop and clear his throat, but she already knew what he meant without anymore words and got up to put her arms around him from behind. She held him and rested her chin on his shoulder. “Why didn’t you tell me.? Why did you wait so long? That was two and a half years ago, Sidney! And then again when you came home. What were you thinking? You let me move in with James knowing how you felt? How could you do that”? “Charlotte, I came off the plane that day with every intention of telling you how I felt. I took you to dinner so we could talk, remember? Then you started in on your new boyfriend and you seemed so excited about it. You told me how long you’d been dating and that you thought he’d propose. You said you weren’t totally sure of him, but you were happy and smiling talking about him. I didn’t think I should upend your happy life when I wasn’t even sure you had any feelings for me. I didn’t want to ruin our friendship or make family gatherings awkward. Then you moved in with him and I figured you were happy and I had to move on with my life. I mean we talk every day and you never gave any indication that James didn’t make you happy”. “Oh, Sidney, I never would have moved in with James if you had told me how you felt and you would have never been with Eliza either. We have wasted so much time”! “You never told me either and as a matter of fact, you still haven’t told me how you feel”. Charlotte walked around to the front of him and climbed up in his lap straddling him and kissed him soundly on the lips. Then she leaned back, sighed heavily, looked him square in the eyes and said,” Sidney, you silly man. I have loved you always, for as far back as I can remember. It has always been you. I care for James, but the feelings I have for him don’t hold a candle to the feelings I have always held in secret for you”. He was silent for a moment and then he whispered,” Why did you never tell me”? You never gave me any indication that you felt that way. I have loved you for so long, it almost makes me feel creepy. You were so young the first time I realized your friendship meant more to me than anything else and that I was attracted to you. You were still very young and I was already a college student. I felt so guilty and ashamed. Then when you were old enough and I was finally ready to tell you…well you know the rest”. She kissed him tenderly this time and then answered his question. “I guess for the same reasons as you. At first I was young and you would have never taken me seriously, and it would have been creepy. I had such a crush on you”. He smiled at her and told her he remembered, that it made him feel uncomfortable at the time, but she’d seem to out grow it and he didn’t think about it much again. “Then when I was old enough, your parent’s accident happened and you left. I thought you couldn’t have been interested in me that way or you would have stayed. When I met James at first I told him no, that I just wanted to be friends, but he was kind and persistent and eventually I gave in and went out with him. He was fun and he made me laugh, he wasn’t you though and that’s probably why I hesitated every time he wanted to take it to the next level. You were gone and I believed you only had feelings for me like a sister or family. Poor James, I feel so bad for him. I feel like I’ve led him on. He will be so hurt and I never intended to hurt him.” You can’t berate yourself for that Charlotte. You didn’t intend to deceive him. You had all the best intentions of moving on the same way I did when I met Eliza.” Sidney looked at her shyly and said, “ So, to be clear, you’re saying your in love with me, have been in love with me for most of your life and you want to take a shot and see if this will work between us”? She leaned back and gave him her most beautiful smile. The one that he fell in love with the day he met her. “Yes, those are my thoughts exactly”. Sidney closed the gap between them and kissed her tenderly on the lips. As Charlotte responded to his kiss his passion was ignited and it turned into all tongues and teeth and sounds of longing between them, it was a good thing the house was still asleep. 

When they came up for air they just sat there with their foreheads touching and smiled at each other for a few minutes breathing heavily. The pancakes were cold and neither was hungry for food anymore. Sidney suggested they clean up, put some coffee in to go cups and have a walk on the beach. Charlotte said that sounded perfect. 

The sunrise was beautiful and it wasn’t too cold this morning. It was just early spring and it could be bitter at this time of year on the coast, especially if the wind picked up, but today was perfect. They were bundled in their winter coats with beanie caps. They weren’t wearing gloves though. They wanted to hold hands and feel each others skin. They both had their other hand in their coat pockets. They walked for a while in silence. It was a pleasant silence. It was easy to be with each other. Finally Charlotte spoke, “I have wanted you for so long that it is hard to organize my thoughts coherently. At this point it will be hard to keep my hands off of you. I mean, you feel it too when we kiss, right? The world floats away and the electricity flows and it is hard to think”? She looked shyly at him to see how he reacted. He just smiled shyly at her and said it felt the same for him. He’d never felt so passionate about anyone before and it was quite overwhelming at times. She agreed with him it was overwhelming, however she suspected she’d felt that way a lot longer then he had, so she was used to it. “That being said, I wouldn’t feel right taking our relationship to the next level before ending things with James. Does that make sense? I don’t want you to be upset, but I can’t hurt James that way. I have done him enough harm already. I am sure he is getting ready to propose and has every confidence I will say yes. 

Sidney stopped them from walking and pulled her around to face him. He wanted to see her face and look in her eyes. “Charlotte, how could I be upset with you for that? Huh? Of course you should tell James first. It will be really hard to keep my hands off of you too, but I can be a gentleman if I have to. You won’t make me wait too long though, will you”? She just laughed and said, “Of course not”, and then kissed him senseless. She told him she wouldn’t be able to wait that long either. It was Saturday and they were supposed to go to dinner that night. James would be home Monday night, so they decided they would drive back to the city together on Sunday. They could leave Sidney’s car here and take Charlotte’s. He had another car at Bedford Place he could use while he was in the city. She would tell James Monday when he got home and would come and stay with Sidney at Bedford Place. He wanted to go with her and be there for her, he knew how upset she would be after she told him she was leaving. Even if it would hurt a little seeing her upset over another man, he wanted to help her through it. He was confident enough in her feelings that he could do that for her. 

As they made their way back to the house Sidney asked if they should tell anyone yet. Charlotte said she didn’t see the harm in sharing their news with their family. That made Sidney‘s smile grow hearing those words. It made him happy that she wanted to tell their family. They walked into a kitchen full of chaos. It was always chaos in the morning here, with kids shouting that their sibling was touching them or taking their food, loud conversation, food being shared and always at least one spilled cup. They walked in the door hand in hand with huge smiles on their faces. Mary was the only one who noticed and had a curious look on her face. Sidney grabbed the nearest glass and spoon off the island, and clinked them together to get everyone’s attention. All the talking stopped at once all eyes on him. He smiled and looked around the room at some of his most favorite people, ”Charlotte and I want to announce that we are very much in love and planning to be together from this day forward…That is all…you can go back to your breakfast”. You could hear a pin drop. Even baby James was quiet, and then everyone started talking at once asking how and when and deciding it was about time. Mary had always wondered when the two of them would figure out they were in love with each other. Tom complained that he didn’t know what she was talking about, as it was a total surprise to him, which of course didn’t surprise Mary at all. She just laughed at him. Breakfast was enjoyable all around after that and Sidney and Charlotte found they were both hungry after all. Much to everyone’s delight Charlotte got up and made everyone her famous Chocolate Chip Pancakes. 

After breakfast, Tom and Sidney took the children out to the garden to play. That gave Mary and Charlotte some girl time to talk while they cleaned up breakfast. Mary told Charlotte how happy she was for them both. She’d always wanted a sister that really got her and now she would have one. She loved Diana, but they had very little in common. She and Charlotte had always just clicked. Charlotte just laughed at her and told her not to count her chickens before they’d hatched. She and Sidney had just figured out they had feelings for each other, they weren’t talking marriage. Mary just nodded her head and smiled. She knew her brother in law though. Once he had his mind set, he never waited long to follow through. She bet he would propose before the summer season started. 

Chapter 6

Sidney left Tom sorting out a movie with the kids and brought baby James to sit in his high chair. He sprinkled a few baby puffs on the table and gently rubbed his head. His hair was so soft and it made him smile. Charlotte watched as he settled the baby in his chair. He looked so good with a baby in his arms and she imagined what he would look like with their child and smiled to herself. Mary was watching the whole thing and was thinking she would have a new niece or nephew not far into the future and that made her very happy. Charlotte was young, but she’d always wanted children and had lots of experience with her brother’s and sisters, so she knew she was up to the task. 

They were almost finished in the kitchen so Charlotte asked Mary if she minded finishing up, she needed a shower. As she was leaving the room Sidney piped up and said he thought he would go take a shower of his own. Mary just smirked at him and he told her to get her mind out of the gutter. She was laughing as Sidney chased Charlotte up the stairs, as she ran from him. Sidney let her go and followed her into her room. “Sidney, what are you about. You can not shower with me. There is no way I can keep my hands off of you if I see you naked”. “That doesn’t sound so bad to me”, he said in a low seductive voice that made Charlotte’s adrenalin kick in and her face flush. She told him not to tease her, they had made an agreement and as it was the first one of their relationship, and she expected him to help her keep it by not tempting her. He smiled and sighed heavily and said,” Fine. I will go all alone and have my shower in my room, but I will be quick because I don’t want to let you out of my sight for long yet. If you come out of the shower you better put a towel on or take your clothes in the bathroom with you, because when you come out, I will be laying right here on your bed waiting for you and hoping you forget and I get to see you naked and she could hear him laughing all the way down the hall. 

This was a new side of Sidney she’d never seen before. She rather liked flirty Sidney! She was quick in the shower herself. She didn’t want to be away from him either. The whole time all she could think about was taking a shower with him. She remembered seeing his body at the cove and she couldn’t wait to see all of him again and feel free to touch him. Right now she wanted to enjoy their time together, but she felt guilty knowing it would hurt James if he knew. She tried to put that away for now. She and Sidney had an agreement and she would enjoy the next few days with him and try not to feel guilty about it. On Monday she would let James down as gently as she could and then she would be free to do as she pleased and she knew touching Sidney would please her very much. 

When Sidney came back to her room he was surprised to find Charlotte dressed and ready for the day. She had her long hair pulled back and braided and she wore jeans and a fitted black tee shirt that said, ”Pies are not squared, they are round silly” with pies being the mathematical symbol with an apostrophe s attached and the letter r and a small 2 next to it with the word not in between the r and the 2 in bright white lettering. Leave it to his brilliant woman to wear a math joke on her tee shirt. He smiled at the thought of her being his and chuckled at the joke. “What, will it not do” she asked him. “It will do very well Luv, you look gorgeous”. She melted and gave him her best smile at the term of endearment he’d used. 

Sidney suggested they go into Sanditon and walk the shops, maybe tool around the little museum and then have a coffee somewhere. She was all in for that. It was a nice day again and unusually warm for early spring, so they decided to walk even though it was several miles into town. It was a lovely walk. They held hands the whole way, occasionally bumping shoulders and smiling at each other constantly. They were both feeling giddy in their new relationship. They talked about everything and nothing. They already knew so much about each other. Sidney was surprised to find out he didn’t know her favorite color was blue and Charlotte was shocked to find out Sidney truly hated cricket. She teased him unmercifully and told him he’d better never admit that to her dad or brothers and that she could use it later to blackmail him. They enjoyed the museum. Neither had been there since it had opened last year. Lady Babington had started the museum when she found a treasure trove of historical documents and diary’s in the attic at the Old Sanditon House which had passed down in her family for generations and when she’s married Bab’s she finally had to money to make the old property into a museum. It had 19 th century furniture and architecture dating back around 1802 when her great Aunt more then two hundred years ago married Lord Harris Denham. Esther had turned it into a wonderful tribute to the founders of Sanditon and her family. Sidney’s family had a long history in Sanditon as well. He could trace his family back to the beginnings of the 19 th century as well with the Original Tom Parker, where and Lady Harris Denham had managed to make the town into a sea side resort of sorts, which was later to become the Sanditon Resort and Spa of today through some additions and updates Sidney’s grandfather had made. Sidney’s father also followed in the footsteps of his father and was extremely successful at making the resort a desired vacation destination to all of England up until the day he passed. She was an ancestor of one of the town’s founders and the wife of Sidney’s best friend Lord Charles Babington the Third, but all his friends called him Bab’s. He was rather unpretentious for a Lord and his wife Esther was equally dispositional. 

At this point Charlotte was getting a little hungry so she suggested that they stop at the bakery and get some pastry and coffee. Sidney was ready for some more coffee so he was agreeable. Coffee and pastry in hand they sat outside at a little table for two. He laughed at her, she had picked three pastries. She just told him she was hungry and couldn’t decide which she wanted most. He laughed again and said if she got full, he would eat the rest. She quickly covered her pastries and told him there was no way he was getting any of her pastry after he teased her about buying so many…cheeky woman. 

When they finished their coffee, they wondered aimlessly around the shops it town. They didn’t buy anything. Just window shopped and enjoyed each others company. Before they realized it the sun was starting to get low in the sky and they were starting to get hungry again. Sidney looked at his watch and it was almost 5pm. No wonder they were hungry, they’d been walking around all day and the time had just slipped away unnoticed by the two lovers. 

Sidney knew that Charlotte had already made reservations at one of the resorts restaurant, but he wanted more privacy then that. All the employees there already knew them both and would be sure to come up and talk to them if they went there. While Charlotte was busy trying on a swim suit she saw in a shop window he called and canceled the reservation and made a new one in a little seafood restaurant in the next little town over. His friend Crowe owned it and although it was a busy spot they made room for him at the last minute anyway. The hostess knew he was a friend of Crowe’s. His friend was out of town on business so he was happy that the hostess remembered him. The restaurant was lovely and romantic, right out on the water with a view of the cliffs of Sanditon. It would be perfectly beautiful as the sun set over the sea. He hoped that Charlotte wouldn’t mind the change and kept it for a surprise. 

As they were driving to the restaurant that night Charlotte noticed that Sidney missed the turn for the resort and she commented that he was so smitten with her he was driving on autopilot. He chuckled at her and admitted that although he was terribly smitten with her, he knew exactly what he was doing. This made Charlotte curious and she worried out loud about missing their dinner reservation to see if he would take the bait and tell her his plans. He knew her well and didn’t bite. She pouted in her seat and he just chuckled more. “Are you laughing at me Mr. Parker”? “I would never laugh at you, Charlotte” he said with a smirk on his face. “You would laugh at me. In fact you laugh at me all the time with impunity”. That just made him laugh harder and he had to slow down so they didn’t drive off the road. He had always loved her sense of humor, especially when she wasn’t trying to be humorous. 

Charlotte was surprised when they pulled up to Ocean Blue. She knew that their friend Crowe had opened a new restaurant, but she hadn’t been in Sanditon since it opened at the beginning of the year. The parking lot was crowded and she wondered how Sidney had gotten a reservation so quickly. When she commented he’d replied that it was all who you know. She figured he’d called Crowe to get a table. The building didn’t look like much from the outside. It was just an old long brick factory building that sat out on the wharf with a green tin roof. It had interesting windows that looked original to the building though and when they walked through the door, Charlotte let out a happy sigh. Crowe had out done himself. The whole space was opened up and all that remained of the original factory interior were the iron beams holding the roof up, the original brick, wood flooring and windows. The kitchens and facilities were all the way one end of the building and the other end extended out to the sea with a large open patio at the end. There were fabulous glass chandeliers hanging down the center and smaller mood lighting along the perimeter over every table. The tables were all covered in pale blue and green linens to evoke the colors of the sea and the art on the wall were all larger then life pictures of jellyfish of every shape, size in color framed in what looked like old dock wood. There was a huge tank of live jellyfish on the interior wall of the kitchen with large orange creatures undulating in the water. 

They were led to their table by the window by a cute woman that Sidney introduced as Clara. He thanked her for getting them a table for tonight, he told her he would be sure and mention to Crowe how helpful she’d been. Clara blushed, said Thank You, handed them their menus and walked back to the front of the restaurant. “Crowe has outdone himself with this space, don’t you think? No wonder it has been so busy since it opened even through the slow season”. She agreed totally and couldn’t wait to tell Crowe how much she loved the look of the place. That the food and service were equal to the atmosphere was of no surprise to them both. They had both been to several of Crowe’s restaurants in London and knew he required close to perfection in all his employees. Crowe could be hard on his employees when they got it wrong, but when they got it right he paid well and was fast to compliment. The rest of the evening was lovely and before long they realized they were the only people left in the restaurant that were not employees. Sidney paid the bill and they walked back to the car hand in hand. Sidney had only had one glass of wine with dinner which left the rest of the bottle for Charlotte. She didn’t normally drink much, so three glasses left her quite tipsy. She chattered about this and that the whole way home. Sidney just listened happily to her chatter and smiled at her now and then. When he got her to her room he helped her out of her shoes and her pants and put her to bed. She asked him to stay sleep here with her. As much as sleeping in the same bed appealed to him, he wasn’t sure that was a good idea. He wasn’t sure he could keep his hands off her if she was right there next to him. She told him not to be silly, of course he could control himself. It wasn’t the first time they’d slept in the same bed. They and all their siblings had many sleepovers at each other’s houses and after his parents had passed it only happened more often. He wasn’t sure he agreed with her, this was wholly different and she knew it, but he sat and took off his shoes and then stripped down to his boxers and slipped into bed beside her.   
It felt so good to be close to her and he was growing harder by the minute. She kissed him sweetly and then snuggled up close to him and slipped her face into the crook of his neck. She was asleep in minutes. Sidney was so uncomfortable he couldn’t begin to fall asleep. He didn’t want to wake her, but he had to do something about it if he wanted to sleep. He slowly disentangled himself from her careful not to wake her. If she caught him right now he would be mortified. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d taken himself in hand. It had been a long time. He went to the loo and turned on the water in case she woke up. He stroked himself over the sink until he felt his release. It didn’t take long and he was grateful for that. He rinsed and dried himself off and then crawled back into bed. Charlotte stirred and asked him where he went. To the loo he’d answered. He was embarrassed at almost getting caught and felt like a teenager again, but she didn’t notice and she went back to sleep mumbling, “I love you Sidney, so very much”. She was asleep again before she heard his answer. “I love you too my Darling”. Sidney was asleep shortly after that. 

Chapter 7

Sidney woke the next morning to the smell of jasmine in a warm too warm cocoon of Charlotte and he didn’t mind one bit. He threw the blanket off of them which inadvertently woke Charlotte with as start. “So sorry Luv”, he couldn’t help but laugh at her unhappy gaze. “I didn’t mean to wake you in such an unpleasant way. I was just hot and I didn’t think it would wake you. Her face changed to a sleepy smile, “You’re forgiven Mr. Parker, I know I’m hot”! She couldn’t hold in her laugh. Sidney rolled on top of her and kissed her with a tenderness he hadn’t shown her before. She kissed him back eagerly and felt him harden against her thigh. She looked him in the eye and said with a serious face,” Why Mr. Parker, you are very happy to see me this morning”! He ground his hips into her, “I can’t help it, this is what you do to me”. He turned red in the face and she thought it was curious so she asked him about it. She had rarely seen Sidney be shy. He held his tongue and closed his eyes for a moment. She started tickling him and he rolled over on his back to get away from her. Surprising Sidney she rolled over with him, to continue her tickling and straddled him. That didn’t help the situation and he groaned. “Charlotte, you’re not helping the situation”, he sputtered in between laughs. Relieved she’d stopped he opened his eyes to look at her. She was poised with her hands in the air, “Tell me what made you blush I want to know”. “No”, he replied. “It’s embarrassing”. “Tell me. You’re at my mercy and I will tickle torture you until you confess all your secrets”. Sidney put his arm over his face and mumbled a response, but she couldn’t understand him, something about having to use the loo. He was so absolutely adorable. She loved him more in that moment then she ever thought she could and pealed his arm off of his reddened face and whispered,”Tell me” He looked her in the eye, swallowed and sighed heavily, “I had to go to the loo and take care of myself last night”. Not understanding him immediately, she couldn’t understand why he’d be embarrassed to use the loo and said as much. He just turned redder, with the blush moving down his neck and chest and smirked at her. “Charlotte, I had to take myself in hand and come into the sink”! She sputtered trying to hold in her laughter and eventually couldn’t hold it in any longer and let out a loud belly laugh. “Why….why…why would”. She couldn’t get her sentence out she was laughing so hard. Thoroughly mortified now that she was laughing at him he threw his arm over his face again. When she’d gotten her laughing under control she pealed his arm off his face again. He was still red and his eyes were closed. “Look at me”. He didn’t respond. “Look at me”, she said again. He opened his eyes and she was surprised that he looked hurt. “Oh, baby. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. Please don’t feel bad or embarrassed. You do realize that I have six brothers and I grew up on a farm right? I am no stranger to men and their Wiley Ways.” He just looked at her with a serious look. “Wiley Ways, are you laughing at me again Charlotte”? “No, of course not, why would you be embarrassed abut masturbating? It’s a natural thing to do and if you were so uncomfortable that you couldn’t sleep, then what’s the big deal”? He was pouting a bit and still not sure she wasn’t laughing at him. “I don’t know Charlotte. We Parker’s are a private sort I guess. We never talked about things like that growing up with my parents. I certainly never caught my brothers or yours for that matter jerking off in the loo. I guess I was just embarrassed that I couldn’t control myself and I didn’t want you to know” She leaned down and kissed him on the lips with love and affection. He finally kissed her back. She sat up and smiled down at him and he gave her a small shy smile back. “Am I forgiven”, she said. “Of course Luv, it would take more then that to scare me away when we’ve only just begun”. Pleased with his response and that she was forgiven, she wiggled her hips over him,” I guess we’ve found a cure for your problem”. He grew serious again. “Too soon…”, she said with a sheepish look on her face. He couldn’t hold a strait face anymore when she looked at him like that, and let out a deep laugh. He could laugh at himself secure there in her bed with her legs wrapped around him. He pulled her in for a kiss. This time it wasn’t tender, it lit her on fire and she wiggled on top of him. “Having a little problem yourself now are you…the loo is free” and he laughed out loud again and kissed her again. She rolled off of him and got up. “Where are you going”. Snickering she replied, “To the loo”. When he just raised his eyebrows up at her, she laughed and said, “I have to pee”. 

They got dressed for the day and met in the hall to go down to breakfast. The walked into the chaos of the kitchen hand in hand which made Mary smile. They had slept in later then they usually did and breakfast was well under way. “Good morning love birds”, Mary chirped with a huge smile on her face. Tom just rolled his eyes at his wife and went back to his paper. Sundays were family day in the Parker house and they spent the rest of the day eating too much and playing with the children until it was time to leave. Giving everyone hugs, kisses, and promises to come back soon, Sidney put their bags in the car and asked Charlotte if she wanted him to drive. They were in her car after all. She said she was happy to have him drive. He walked her around to the passenger side of the car and held the door open for and then closed it when she was in her seat. He got in and reached over to squeeze her leg. “Ready”? She nodded and he leaned over and kissed her, put his sunglasses on and started the car.

It wasn’t long before they were in the city and Sidney asked if she’d like to go home tonight or come to his. She hadn’t talked to James all weekend. They’d shared a few texts back and forth, but that was it. It wasn’t unusual for them when one of them traveled. Neither had ever felt the need to be in constant contact. It was so much different with Sidney. Charlotte felt like it would hurt to be away from him for long. She told him to take her to his house. She could stay until tomorrow afternoon. James wasn’t due in until dinner time. Sidney was pleased she decided to stay the night with him, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to sleep without her there. Soon they’d pulled up to Bedford Place. Sidney let them in and placed their bags at the foot of the stairs. “Hungry”, he said. She nodded at him and they went into the kitchen to see what they could find to eat. There was some home made soup that Mary had jarred and boxed pasta with homemade sauce, also courtesy of Mary. There were no fresh veggies, but Sidney found a can of sliced olives and some capers in the pantry. He opened a bottle of red wine while Charlotte set the table and lit some candles. Sidney poured them a glass of whine while the sauce and the water for the pasta heated up. He was stirring the sauce when Charlotte came up and hugged him from behind. She sighed in contentment and he did too. It was so easy to be here together and after tomorrow they would be free to take their relationship to the next level. 

They went up to bed after clearing their dinner dishes. They were both tired. It had been a long day with the drive from Sanditon. It would be a trying day ahead tomorrow and it would be good to get a full night’s rest. After changing separately into their PJ’s they brushed their teeth together in the bathroom smirking at each other in the mirror. The toilet had a separate room but Sidney didn’t close the door. She could hear him and thought about how intimate that was. When she was done she did the same thing, even with the door open he couldn’t see her unless he walked around the corner. She wondered if Sidney thought about how intimate it was too. 

The next morning they were both up early. They were a little somber knowing what lay ahead. Sidney suggested they walk to the corner café and have some breakfast followed by a walk in the park if the weather held. It looked grey out, which fit their moods and they both took an umbrella from the umbrella stand on their way out. Breakfast was delicious and the weather held out for a long stroll in the park. Neither was in any kind of hurry. Eventually it started to drizzle and so they made their way home. They decided on a movie and some popcorn. Sidney made it fresh from real corn rather then that terrible microwave stuff. It was buttery and delicious. They watched a comedy to try and lighten the tension of what they both knew would be an awful evening. 

When the movie was over Charlotte had to go. It was getting later then she thought and she was having a hard time with leaving Sidney. “I don’t want to go”, she whispered into his neck. “I’m such a coward”, she whispered. He hugged her tighter to his body so she could feel his warmth. “You’re not a coward simply because you don’t want to hurt someone you care about and have lived with for the last six months”. She knew he was trying to comfort her, but she wasn’t sure he was right. He could see the doubt on her face. He told her not to doubt herself, she was an extraordinary woman. He knew it and he assured her James knew it too. He would be hurt, and it might take him a while to get over it, but ultimately if he loved her, he would let her go without to many hard feelings and eventually find the right woman for him. He deserved to be happy too and in the long run even if she stayed with him, he wouldn’t be happy, because she was in love with another man.

Charlotte listened to his words and saw the serious look on his face. He knew this would cost James and he was not taking any pleasure in that. That was why he’d agreed to waiting to be intimate with her. He didn’t want to treat another human being like Eliza had treated him. Even if he was the boyfriend of the woman he loved, he didn’t want to be that kind of man and he was truly sorry for the pain this would cause James. She knew he was right, so she kissed him one last time squared her shoulders and walked out the door. Sidney followed, held her door open for her and gave her one last slow kiss. He told her to come home as soon as it was over, no matter how late. He would be waiting for her. 

Chapter 8

Charlotte arrived to their empty flat and busied her self packing a bag with some clothes in it. She only packed what she’d need for a week. She figured she would come while James was in class and pack the rest of her things. She would stay with Sidney at Bedford Place until she graduated in a few weeks and then they would figure it out from there. Once she was done packing she decided that she would clean the house to keep herself busy and to keep her mind off of how nervous she was. Charlotte had never felt this nervous. As she was cleaning the stove her mind kept drifting to what she might say to James. How she might tell him gently that she was in love with someone else and she was leaving him. No matter how many times she went over it in her mind, it all sounded horrible. She didn’t want to break his heart, but didn’t see any way around it. 

The kitchen and bathrooms were gleaming, the bed was made and her bags were packed before she heard his key in the lock. Her hands started shaking, so she opened a bottle of wine to keep them busy. He came in the door, dropped his bag and came over to greet her. As he got close he noticed the look on her face and he asked her what was wrong. He’d known her long enough to know that it wasn’t going to be good news. She asked him to sit and told him she wanted to talk. He took his time sitting as she poured him a glass of wine without asking if he wanted it. She took her glass and downed the contents in one go and took a deep breath and closed her eyes. James started to get a sour feeling in his stomach. This would be bad and he was worried that maybe she had found out somehow about his plans. 

Charlotte opened her eyes and took a deep breath,”James, you know I care for you. You are a sweet, kind and beautiful man. You will make a lovely husband and father”.  _Oh Shit, he was thinking. Is she going to propose? Please don’t propose. I don’t want to hurt you._ “We have been together for a year and a half now and lived together for the last few months and well…” He interrupted, “Charlotte…” “Please James, just let me finish. I think we are at a point in our relationship where we should be thinking of our future and…”  _God this was so difficult she thought._ At the same time James was getting more and more agitated thinking she was about to propose. “I just don’t think it is working for me anymore and I think we should decide to go our separate ways. I am going to move out“. Charlotte and James both took a deep cleansing breath. When she looked up into his eyes, he was smiling. That hadn’t been the reaction she was expecting. “I am so relieved to hear you say that Charlotte. We are getting ready to graduate and I have wanted to have this conversation with you for a while. I realized after we moved in together that it just wasn’t what I was expecting. I was thinking our relationship would become more passionate once we lived together, but that just didn’t happen. Not for you either, I take it? I was working my courage up to tell you how I felt. I got the job in New York and I will be leaving the week after graduation. It is a good offer with a firm my father has long done business with and it is a great opportunity for me. I knew you wouldn’t want to leave your family and move with me to the U.S. And since I have been feeling like our relationship should be more friendly then romantic, I was going to tell you I wanted to part as friends.” 

Charlotte was shocked at first, but then the relief kicked in as the immense weight she’d been carrying around with her all day melted away. “There is just one more thing I want to tell you before you hear it from anyone else. When I went home this weekend, Sidney and I had an open and honest conversation. We finally admitted to ourselves and each other that we were in love and have been for a very long time. I want you to know that it is very new and nothing has happened between us yet. I would never betray your trust in that way. I hope you already understand that without my having to tell you. Sidney and I agreed that we should take it no further until I could have a substantial conversation with you. James smiled at her again and told her that he was not the least bit surprised. He had always felt she was in love with Sidney Parker and had wondered if that was why their relationship never seemed to gain any ground. He told her that he cared for her, but that he was not devastated to have her in his life as only his good friend. He helped he put her bags in the car and told her to come back any time to get the rest of her things. Walking her to her door, he gave her a hug and a chaste kiss on the cheek and wished her well. Closing the door and standing back, he waived to her as she pulled out of the car park. 

Chapter 9

Sidney was pacing back and fourth across the room like a caged tiger. He had gone for a run earlier, but that didn’t help his nerves. The meal he’d made for himself was getting cold on the kitchen counter. After it was ready he found he had no appetite. Calming music wasn’t helping, nor had the hot shower he’d taken after his run. He was feeling crazy and having doubts. What if James talked her out of leaving? What if when she saw him again she realized she really did love him after all? Surely that couldn’t be the case after all they’d talked about, right? He went into the living room to poor himself two fingers of scotch. He downed it in one go and was pouring another when he heard the front door open. That was fast was all he thought as she came into the room smiling. He wasn’t expecting that. He didn’t want to think too much about what he was expecting, because it made him jealous and he knew that was not what Charlotte needed right now. 

She walked up to him and took his face in her hands, looked him deep in the eyes, then at his lips and she leaned up on her toes to give him a very passionate kiss. No, not what he was expecting at all. When she broke the kiss, he asked her what had happened. She explained the whole thing. Everything James had said smiling her beautiful smile the whole time. Sidney was surprised at first, but then as his feelings calmed down, he was just happy and he took her in his arms and kissed her again. Sidney pulled back to look her in the eyes to see if she was really alright. Satisfied with what he saw he asked her if she was hungry. She told him she was famished, not having eaten all afternoon because she was so nervous and had no appetite. He told her he’d been feeling the same since she left that afternoon.

They warmed up the meal Sidney had prepared and sat and talked about how crazy this day had ended up and how happy they were that it ended well and no one had gotten hurt in the process. Conversion got more serious as they discussed their plans for the immediate future and what she would like to do when she graduated. In two weeks she would have a degree in International Business Management under her belt and she need to decide what to do with it. She had always gravitated to the resort industry, because she was familiar through her family association with the Parkers, but she had also helped with the books on their family farm and had a good understanding of how that business worked as well. Ultimately, she wasn’t sure what she’d like to do immediately and thought she would take a few months off over the summer to figure it out. 

They cleared up the kitchen together in companionable silence working well together without having to be verbal. When they were finished Sidney said, “How about a shower together”. He’d been thinking about showering together constantly since they’d joked about it over the weekend. She smiled shyly at him and nodded her head. He took her hand in his and they walked slowly up the stairs to their room. They slowly undressed each other. They weren’t shy, they had both imagined what it would be like with each other many times and so it felt natural to see each other naked. Once they were undressed they kissed and took turns looking at each other and taking it all in. Charlotte had seen Sidney naked before at the cove, but this time she wasn’t embarrassed by her reaction to him. Now that she knew her feelings were returned she had no problem with Sidney seeing her obvious desire for him. He had an incredible body and just the idea that he was hers to touch made her wet with want for him. Sidney had never seen her unclothed before. He’d seen her in a swim suit, so he knew she had a curvy athletic body, but seeing her fully unclothed was like really seeing her for the first time. She was so beautiful it took his breath away and his eyes started to tear with his emotions. In his wildest dreams, he’d hoped, but never really believed they’d get to this place and he was overwhelmed with his feelings. 

Charlotte saw all the emotion cross his face and wound her arms around his neck to pull him into a tight embrace. She wanted to give him comfort so he understood she felt exactly the same way. She couldn’t believe that all her fantasies were about to come true. When she pulled away, Sidney moved to turn the shower on, but didn’t let go of her. He never wanted to let go of her. When the water was warm, he pulled her into the shower with him. It was hot and delightful. He looked deep into her eyes and let out a contented sigh. She reached her hands to his face and ran her finger through his stubble surprised at how soft it was. He hadn’t shaved in a few days and she expected it to be course. She ran her thumb over his bottom lip. She loved his lips, they were made to kiss and they were so soft. He opened his mouth slightly and she slipped her thumb inside. He sucked lightly on it and she made a humming noise he could feel in his body. His cock twitched at the sound getting harder then he already was. 

They washed each other tenderly. It was the best foreplay and had them both very excited and ready for each other. They dried each other with fluffy towels and Sidney hung them to dry and took back her hand leading them to their bed. He already thought of it as their bed in his mind. He’d never been in this bed with anyone else, not even Eliza. She hadn’t liked staying in his family home and preferred their posh London flat instead. His mind quickly shifted back to Charlotte. There was absolutely no comparison between Eliza and Charlotte, so he focused back on looking into Charlotte’s eyes. He gave her a tender kiss which quickly became heated. He backed her up slowly to the bed and lay down on top of her. She loved the weight of him on top of her. They kissed again and it was hungry, all tongues and teeth and hands roaming everywhere they could reach. 

Sidney was so hard it was painful. He was already feeling like he could come at any minute just by kissing her feeling her skin under his hands for the first time. He was breathing heavily and her chest was rising and falling at the same rate. He broke the kiss and looked at her with that sensual half smile on his lips. She saw so much desire in that look. She wiggled her hips under him feeling needy and it was making him crazy. “Luv, this won’t last very long if you keep doing that” She responded with a kiss, “I don’t care. I want you”. Sidney growled. “Did you just growl at me”, she laughed. He laughed too and that helped break some of the tension. “I want you too Charlotte, desperately, but I also want to please you. It has been an incredibly long time for me and you are so beautiful, and I love you so much. I don’t think I will be able to hold out long”. “Sidney, my love, I don’t care about that. You already please me. There will be plenty more of this. There is no need to worry about pleasing me every time. I know that is not practical.” “But I want to please you every time. To give you as much pleasure as you give me…plenty more, huh”? His smile was so seductive in that moment she felt it between her legs. “Will you let me please you first”? She thought she knew what he meant, but wasn’t positive. It wasn’t something she’d done much. James hadn’t been into it and it made her really self-conscious with him. She felt bad for where her mind went in that moment. She should be focusing on the man in front of her and not comparing him. He and James weren’t very similar. “What exactly are we talking about”, she asked him as she blushed? 

Her blush was charming and he realized she was embarrassed talking about this and couldn’t help but laugh a little, especially after she’d laughed at him the other day for the “loo” incident as he’d come to think of it. He didn’t think he could ever enter that bathroom at Trafalgar house again without thinking about it. “Are you laughing at me Sidney Parker” she said rather indignantly. He couldn’t help laughing again as he responded, “Of course not”. “You are laughing at me you brute”. “Well you have to admit that after you made fun of me for my problem in the loo the other morning laughing hysterically at my expense and berating me for being embarrassed about it, that it is a little ironic that you are embarrassed about our conversation now when the tables are turned”. She just huffed at him and turned her head to the side even more uncomfortable then before. He was right of course. She was a hypocrite. 

He put his thumb and finger on her chin to bring her back to him. When she finally looked him in the eyes again he had that serious intense expression on his face that Charlotte had come to understand was unadulterated desire. That calmed her nerves. “Let me taste you Charlotte”, he said in a low seductive voice. Her mouth went dry. His voice vibrated through her body. She nodded her head and he smiled and kissed her with so much passion she was caught off guard. She kissed him back and then he moved to her neck and across her collar bone with wet open mouthed kisses, licking here and there, biting her gently in certain places. He straddled her body and brought both his hands to her breasts to give them some proper attention. Then his hot tongue was on her nipple and she arched her back as he hummed with pleasure. Her body was so responsive to him and it really turned him on. He was trying to ignore how much his cock ached for her. He was feeling rather desperate to be inside her but still he took his time. He wanted their first time together to be good for her, not just a quick in and done because he had no control over himself. 

Sidney worked his way down her body tasting everywhere, giving every inch of her skin attention. As he got closer to his desired destination he could feel her tense up. Looking up at her eyes he could see she was uncomfortable, she couldn’t hold his eye contact. “Look at me Charlotte. See me. See how I am looking at you. Feel my desire. I love you and I want to show you how much. Don’t be embarrassed. You are so damned beautiful. You take my breath away. I am so happy you chose me. Let me love you properly.” She took a deep breath, nodded, closed her eyes and relaxed. Sidney could feel the tension drain from her body and he was happy that he could make her feel better. When she opened her eyes and looked in to his again he asked in that deep voice,”Open your legs for me”. She opened them and he put a hand on each thigh and gently spread them further to make room for his shoulders. She trembled as he dipped his head and kissed her curls. He kissed the inside of her thigh and up to her stomach and then across dipping his tongue into her navel and across and down her other thigh. Then he moved up and ran his nose through her folds inhaling air deep into his lungs.  _She couldn’t believe he just did that. Did he just smell her?_ “Hmmm. You smell so good Charlotte. I can smell your arousal and it is such a turn on”.  _That did not just come out of his mouth! He was so dirty!_ She found she liked it. She decided she might just enjoy this after all. Sidney took his tongue and licked her slowly from bottom to top. He moved his hands back to her thighs to hold her still. He wanted to be in control for this because he knew that as soon as he entered her fully for the first time he wouldn’t be able to think strait. 

Chapter 10

He loved the taste of her salty and sweet. He looked up and told her so and it made her blush again. He went back to his task and took his time building her up and letting her come back down again licking with long strokes and then short round ones on her most tender spot. He spread her folds with his thumbs gently and dipped them each in to get them wet and again to get them wetter. Charlotte shivered when his thumb entered her, she was so wet for him but he had big hands and it felt so good to have a little friction. She tried to raise her hips up to meet his hand, but he just looked at her and stopped what he was doing. He just shook his head and looked back down at his thumb inside her. 

Sidney didn’t think he could get any more turned on. He was so sore and little beads of liquid seeped out of him. He wouldn’t last much longer and it wouldn’t even take being inside her, he could tell. He pumped his thumb inside her slowly a few times and she mumbled “Please” when he pulled out. With both his wet thumbs he spread her again and placed them on either side of her sweet spot, she started wiggling her hips and he just sat there waiting. It was killing him, but he waited. She stopped and looked at him with so much desire almost begging with her eyes, but he just shook his head at her. She sighed in frustration.  _Was he trying to kill her?_ It wouldn’t be the worst way to go she had to admit, but come on already. She was having a hard time controlling herself the way he wanted. His thumbs rubbed her up and down slowly on either side of her with a good amount of pressure. “oooohhh”, she almost cried. That felt so good. She’d never felt it quite like that before. She didn’t come often during sex and she was used to that. It was just the way her body worked. But as Sidney worked her, she was so turned on she couldn’t stand it. His hands felt so good. Then he put the tip of his tongue on her and worked it in small circles while he kept up the pressure up and down with his thumbs. She thought she’d go mad. It was too much and not enough all at once and she was trying hard to keep still. Her orgasm built higher and higher until she exploded. Her body was all sensation all culminating in that one small point. “Oh Sidney”, she cried out.

He could feel her muscles pulsing as she said his name. He knew she’d be sensitive now and removed his thumbs and hugged her closer to his face and licked her folds tenderly until she came down, careful not to touch her in her most sensitive place. When her breathing had finally calmed he rested his head on her stomach. She moved her hands to his hair and gently stroked him, it was all she could do, her body felt like liquid chocolate. Finally she could form words,” What was that? How did you learn how to do that? I have never felt the sensations you made my body feel just then. That was the best orgasm of my life, hands down, with or without a partner. That was wow”!

He smiled shyly at her feeling very pleased with himself. He had wanted her to fee that way. Wanting to show her just how much he loved her. “I read up on the internet while you were away today” Was he kidding? OMG…He was serious. That had to be the most romantic thing she’d ever heard. “The internet, you read up on the internet how to give a good orgasm”? Smirking at her nodded his head. “That might be the most romantic and loving thing I’ve ever heard”. He looked up at her then into her adoring eyes and then rose to move up her body to kiss her. 

She could taste herself on his lips and it was kind of a turn on thinking about what he’d just done to her. She thought she might like to return the favor but was not confident in her skills. Maybe she needed to read on the internet. The though made her smile. “What are you grinning about”? She didn’t want to tell him she was terrible at blowjobs, so she changed the subject. Feeling his hard cock against her leg, she felt her muscles clenching and could feel liquid pooling between her legs. “Sidney as much as I find this conversation interesting and enlightening, I would really like to communicate with you in an entirely different way. I want to feel you inside me”. He looked at her but didn’t respond right away. Charlotte could feel his cock twitch on her leg which emboldened her. “Now”, she said. He was a little shocked at her demanding tone, but smiled seductively and responded, “Yes Ma’am”. 

Sidney rolled them over so she would be on top, which surprised Charlotte. She thought for sure after the way he directed her while his face was between her legs that he’d want to be in control now too. “Take me in Luv, show me what you like. I want to feel you and see you”. She was so wet, she didn’t hesitate another moment. She straddled him and took him in. It was tight, he was large and throbbing. She took him slowly, inch by inch until he was fully seated. Sidney thought he might die on the spot of pleasure she felt so warm and tight around him. He felt like he never wanted to be anywhere else but right inside her like this. Once she adjusted she grabbed his hands for support and started pumping her hips, slowly at first and then picking up the pace as she gained confidence. He let go of her to knead her beautiful breasts occasionally looking back to her eyes to see her pleasure. She was moaning and moving at a fairly fast pace now. He got more and more turned on looking between her eyes, breasts and the spot where they were joined alternately. He didn’t know how long he could last, but he was hoping to give her another orgasm before he was spent. He wanted her first time with him to be as perfect as it could be. 

Charlotte started moaning louder and grinding her hips in a circular motion and it was all he could do to hold himself together. “Oh Sidney, you feel so good inside me. I always knew it would be like this between us. You fill me with love in every possible sense of the word. I am so close”. Her words fueled his desire to hold on for her. He sat up so he could kiss her and changed the angle, putting his hands on her hips and pumping his hips to meet hers. “I can’t hold on much longer Luv, come with me, Now Charlotte”. Those commanding words in that sexy seductive voice put her over the edge and they both came hard together with him letting out a howl and her calling his name. 

They just sat there like that for a long time catching their breath, neither wanted to let go. When he could speak again, “I love you so much my Darling Girl. I am so glad we’ve found each other”. Overcome by his lovely words she kissed him tenderly and looked into his eyes, “I love you so much it almost hurts and I am glad we are finally together too”. Sidney rolled them over again and pulled out of her. He got up to wash and brought a bowl with him, curious she quirked her eye brow in a silent question. “I brought warm water and a towel. May I clean you up a bit”? She blushed, it was rather intimate, but she’d had lots of intimate moments with him this evening. It was very sweet. She just opened her legs for him. He wiped her tenderly making sure to get her clean, placed the bowl on the bedside table and asked if she was thirsty, “Hungry all of the sudden too”. Smiling, naked and hand in hand they walked down to the kitchen to find sustenance. Full and satiated, they curled up together in bed and fell asleep.

Sidney was having the best dream. He and Charlotte were on the beach in Sanditon in the family’s private cove. They were alone and she was lying beside him on her stomach and kissing his neck. It was driving him crazy and he could feel himself getting hard. When he woke, Charlotte was kissing his neck and fondling his cock with her hand. He decided he’d like to wake up this way every morning for the rest of his life. He was quickly hard as a rock and ready for her. She asked him to be on the bottom this time. He had no problem with that. He snaked his hand between her legs, she was more then ready for him. He rolled over her and placed himself at her entrance, rubbing himself a few times over her sensitive spot. Keeping his eyes locked with her he entered her fully in one deep thrust, she gasped in surprise. “Ok, Luv”. He hoped he hadn’t hurt her that was never his intention. He couldn’t read her expression so he just waited for her. Understanding, she smiled a sweet sleepy smile and moved her hips up to meet him. He took that as his cue to continue and started pumping slowly in and out, pulling his whole cock out of her and slowly moving it back in all the way. Over and over, he kept up that slow punishing pace until she couldn’t take it anymore and wrapped her legs around him and pressed down with her feet. He picked up the pace and they were both sweaty and breathing hard. He kept his eyes locked on hers the whole time wanting to watch her as she came undone. It didn’t take long before she was tightening down around him and whimpering through her release. She was a thing of beauty and he followed coming deep inside her. He turned them on their sides. They lay embraced like that for so long they fell asleep again with him still inside her. 

When he opened his eyes again she was sound asleep still and wrapped around him. He found he liked it, a lot. He felt so content in that moment listening to her even breaths. He wondered how long he would have to wait to ask her to marry him. He had thought about it many times before, but then it had just been a fantasy. Something he would take out and think about every once in a while believing it was so far out of his reach. They had known each other all their lives, but in reality had only been a couple for a few days. It seemed impossible to wait, but she was so young and just finishing Uni. He would have to be patient. He smiled to him self and breathed deep letting out a sigh. 

This woke Charlotte. She gave him a sleepy smile which melted his heart. He was so handsome and she felt all his love as he stared into her eyes. She wondered how long she should wait to tell him she wanted him forever. She knew how she felt before they were intimate, but now she was having a hard time not telling him. She wanted to shout from the roof tops how much she loved him, for the entire world to witness. She fully realized how ridiculous that was. They had only been together for three days. She would just have to be patient, but that felt hard. She had to go back to school today and Sidney had a business meeting at the bank. As much as they both wanted to stay inside their little happy bubble, real life was calling. 

Chapter 11

The next few weeks that led up to graduation were busy. Charlotte had to finalize her dissertation and turn it in. She had to pick up her cap and gown. Esther was in town and wanted to have lunch and see how she was doing. Really she just wanted all the juicy details life with Sidney. She gave her the headlines, but the details were just too private to share, even with her girlfriend. 

Sidney was busy with meetings with the bank for a project he wanted to start on the south side of Sanditon proper. He wanted to provide some moderate priced housing to the community. As much as he appreciated the business of the wealthy clients that frequented the resort he also wanted to provide those living permanently in the community with some affordable housing. They couldn’t run the resort without the locals and Sanditon was in dire need of housing that the locals could afford. He had lunch with Bab’s and Crowe to talk over his ideas and they both said it was worth while to at least look at the numbers to see if it was feasible. Sidney didn’t care about making much of a profit off the properties. He just didn’t want to loose his shirt. 

They were both tired each day when they came home. They made dinner together or ordered take away. They did chores like laundry and house keeping together and they set plenty of time aside to make love. They had been in every room of the house, finding it exciting to try new things and new positions with each other. Sometimes they would research new positions or techniques with each other and try them out. They were very happy in their lives together. 

A few days before the graduation Sidney noticed that Charlotte was nervous. He attributed it to getting to the end of college and what would come next for her. He hoped she understood without telling her that he would support her in anything she wanted to do with her life. As her agitation grew, he thought maybe he should tell her that. Maybe she didn’t understand that and was worried about it. At dinner the day before her ceremony, he broached the subject. “Charlotte, do you understand the depth of my devotion to you”? “Yes, I think so. It is the same as how I feel about you”. “You seem to be struggling a bit Luv. I’ve been waiting for you to talk about it but as graduation gets closer you haven’t opened up and you just seem more and more worried.” Sighing heavily she told him she was sorry, she just had a lot on her mind and she hadn’t shared it because there was nothing he could do about it. “Would you share it with me anyway just so I know what’s bothering you and I don’t have to guess”. She got up and sat in his lap and put her head on his shoulder. He put his arms around her and gathered her close. “I am just worried about how my Papa will react to the change in our relationship. That is all.” “Oh, I thought you were worrying about what you wanted to do after graduation and thinking I might not be happy about your plans”. “No, that never even crossed my mind. I know you would support anything I want to do. I didn’t have to hear you say it to know that”. Feeling relieved he was glad he’d brought it up. “What exactly are you expecting your Papa to say? Are you afraid he won’t approve. Do you think he might not find me a worthy choice”? “No, of course not, none of those things, what do you mean he might think your not worthy? He loves you Sidney, just as much any of us. What makes you think he wouldn’t find you worthy.” “I don’t know. I haven’t spent as much time with him as the rest of my siblings and I ran away after my parent’s funeral. Maybe he thinks badly of me for that. Maybe he thinks I might leave when things get hard”. She sat up so she could see his eyes. He was serious about this. Charlotte had no idea he had such feelings hidden down deep inside. She didn’t realize he was so hard on himself for having to go away to deal with his grief. What he didn’t know is that they’d all understood how private he was and that he just needed to get away and be alone while he worked through that process. “Sidney, I am not afraid he won’t approve of you. It is me he will have a problem with. He will think I am too young for such a serious life commitment. He will think I am moving way too fast after James and that I should take some time to get to know myself and figure out my career before tying myself to someone forever. He will think I wasn’t fair to James and he will be ashamed of me.” “That is not true Charlotte. He will understand what happened with James when you explain it to him. Yes, you are young, but you have a good head on your shoulders and he knows you wouldn’t make the choice to be with me lightly, because of the family. You are an adult and can make your own choices. I assure you, he will not be ashamed of you or your behavior. He may prefer we take it slow, but I am sure he will respect your decision.” She smiled a watery smile at him and he wiped away her tears. “I’m glad we talked about how I was feeling. In the future I will try not to hold it all in. I just didn’t want to burden you. You have been so busy with work”. Sidney hugged her tight again and said,” I am never too busy to listen to you Charlotte. I like it better when we are open and don’t hold back. You are never a burden. Do you hear what I am saying”? She hugged him back hard, grateful for his love and understanding. He knew her so well and that was lovely. 

When she looked up at him again he gave her his cocky grin, “Life commitment, huh? Tying yourself to me forever, huh”? Those words made him all warm inside. She grinned back at him, “How do you know I was talking about you, huh”? “You cheeky woman” and he brought his hands to both her sides to tickle her until she was breathless and laughing. Laughing along with her he stopped and just kissed her tenderly and stood up and carried her to their bedroom. After much loving, they fell asleep tangled up in each other and the bed sheets. 

Chapter 12

The next day the family descended on Bedford Place and the house was full to the brim. The back bedroom had been a play room when Sidney was little, but after having the Heywood’s practically join the family, his father had remodeled it for a bunk room that slept ten on bunks built into the walls. Charlotte’s married siblings and their children were at the local hotel thank goodness, because it was utter chaos. Sidney and Charlotte had discussed it last night before falling asleep and they decided to have a family announcement at dinner tonight. They were eager not to spend the night apart. They both hoped it would go well. They knew they had Mary and Tom’s support at least. 

When everyone had finished their meal and Mary was about to bring out items for ice cream sundaes, he again stood and clinked his spoon against his glass. As before everyone fell silent, even the little’s. Alicia piped up and said,” Uncle Sidney are you and Charlotte getting married now”? Sidney winced looking at the scowl on Mr. Heywood’s face. Well, out of the mouths of babes he thought. He cleared his throat, and smiled at her,” No of course not silly, it’s much too early for that”. At which point he looked from Charlotte to her father a myriad of emotions on both of their faces. Charlotte looked slightly amused and disappointed at the same time. Sidney was confused by that. Mr. Heywood looked red in the face but held his tongue for the moment. “Charlotte and I would like to announce to our family that we are in love and intend to spend all of our time in the foreseeable future together. That is all”. Sidney sat as Mr. Heywood stood. “Sidney Parker! I think we’d better have a private conversation”. He gave Charlotte a stern look letting her know it was not up for debate and told her he would call her in a few minutes after he’d had his talk with Sidney. Sidney stood and looked him in the eye and walked down the hall to the study. He didn’t wait to see if Mr. Heywood was following him. He was pouring two whiskeys as Mr. Heywood entered the room. Handing him one he sat in one of the chairs by the fireplace and offered his surrogate father the other. “What exactly are your intentions towards Charlotte”. He took a sip of his drink as he stared holes through Sidney. Sidney took a gulp of his own drink, squared his broad shoulders and looked Mr. Heywood directly in the eye,” I intend to ask her to marry me Mr. Heywood, sir”. Mr. Heywood took another long sip of his whiskey and sighed heavily. “Rob, call me Rob, Sidney. I think we are long past being formal. You are like a son to me and I love you very much. I want both you and Charlotte to be happy. I have noticed how you both look at each other over the years. I was not always comfortable with it, but as the years went by it was impossible not to see your devotion to each other. It was there from the very first day and has obviously matured from friendship into love. Tell me Sidney, do you feel passionately towards her”. Sidney choked on his drink. “Mr.…Rob, I don’t think that is something I want to discuss with you, all due respect”. “Oh, don’t be such a prude Son. It is important to have passion in a marriage to get you through the hard times. Do sparks fly when you are intimate with my daughter”. Sidney grew flustered and red in the face. He couldn’t believe the turn this “talk” had taken. He was mortified even thinking thought like that with her father in the room, let alone discussing it. But he just sat across from him waiting for an answer. Sidney swallowed down the rest of his drink and poured another. Offering the bottle to Charlotte’s father, he mumbled his answer. “Good God Man, speak up”, Rob blustered. Sidney took a deep breath, “Yes, there are sparks and passion and fire. I have never wanted someone as much as I want Charlotte”. Sidney could no longer keep eye contact and sipped his drink again for fortification. “Does Charlotte feel the same”? Sighing heavily again, “I am confident she does”. “Good…good. That’s good. Have you asked her yet”? “Asked her what yet Sir…I mean Rob”. “To Marry you Son”, Rob laughed at his soon to be son-in-laws muddled brain. For he was absolutely sure his daughter would say yes. “Sidney felt a little slow at the moment. He wasn’t sure if it was the whiskey, or the fact that he was discussing his sex life with Charlotte’s father. “Um, no..Um…I was thinking it might be a little too soon and um…”, Sidney stammered. “Well Son, I wouldn’t wait too long. Charlotte has her own mind and once made up, she isn’t the patient sort. She might just beat you too it if you aren’t careful. “Am I right in assuming you and Charlotte will be sharing a room while I am here”? Sidney flushed again, “Are you kidding me right now Rob”? Laughing from his belly, It took Rob a while to settle down, “Too soon for teasing, huh? Just poking a little fun at you, I couldn’t resist. You have to understand Charlotte got her sense of humor from someone. You have my blessing. Now go and get Charlotte”. Sidney got up to obey, but turned before he left, “You won’t spill the beans on the proposal, will you” He asked so earnestly that Rob didn’t feel it was right to tease him any more today. “Of course your secret is safe with me Son. Do you have a plan”? “I was thinking next week in Sanditon. That is where we met after all. I was thinking in the moonlight on the beach. I’d take her for a walk. I want to give her my Mother’s ring. Do you think she will like that, or do you think she will want something new, or with a diamond perhaps? Mother’s was just a sapphire”. Rob smiled at him a genuine smile. He loved this boy like he was his own. “Sidney, don’t doubt yourself. You are more then worthy of Charlotte. You have been best friends since you were children. You know the answer to that question already”. He did know the answer but he was happy to know that Rob knew that too. Rob crossed the room and gave Sidney a big bear hug. Holding for a little longer then was necessary. He missed his friend, but was happy that he could step into his shoes here tonight. “You parents would be very proud of the man you’ve become”. Sidney had tears in his eyes when Rob let him go. “Do you really think so”, he asked with a shy smile? “I know so, not go and get your girl”. 

Sidney walked back to the dining room in a daze to get Charlotte. That had to be the weirdest, most uncomfortable and best conversation he’d ever had. He would have to think about it later to dissect which part was the most important to pull out of it. All he knew is he never wanted to have a conversation with Rob like that again. When he walked in the room everyone looked his way, but his eyes were only on Charlotte. He had that intense serious look again. The one she felt in her toes but would have to wait until later to act on. “Charlotte, you dad wants to see you too”. He gave her a smile then to reassure her everything was alright. She already knew though, her Papa had been interrogating every boy that had ever shown any interest in her. The fact that he came out smiling at her already told her everything he needed to know. She grabbed his shirt and kissed him lightly on his lips which caused her brothers to wolf whistle at them and tell them to get a room, and the girls to all have a collective sigh. How was it he’d never noticed that the whole family was nuts? Maybe because the only girl he’d ever brought home had been Eliza and she was so indifferent and shallow to them they didn’t even like her enough to tease her and he wasn’t around for most of the time Charlotte was dating. 

He took her hand and led her back to the study. He offered her the chair where he’d been sitting and asked her if she wanted a whiskey. She yes, so he poured her a couple of fingers and handed it to her. He held the bottle in Rob’s direction and when he nodded he poured more for Rob and himself. What the hell, he didn’t have to drive anywhere and this had been one hell of a night already and it wasn’t over yet. Rob just arched his eyebrow at him as he went to sip his drink. He put it down and Rob just howled. Sidney smirked at him and picked up his drink again. Charlotte had definitely got her sense of humor from her Papa. Mrs. Heywood had always just been sweet and motherly to him. “Well Charlotte, your new boyfriend her tells me you’ve been sleeping together as of a week ago today to be precise. What do you have to say about that”? Sidney mumbled,”You have got to be kidding me Rob, Charlotte that is not how the conversation went down”. He looked at her with pleading eyes hoping that she would believe him over her father. She just arched an eyebrow at him, “Oh, has he Papa…” What do you have to say for yourself daughter” he growled at her? “Now wait a minute Rob, with all due respect, I know you’re her father, but I will not stand by while you speak to her like that, like she is a possession rather then a person with her own mind”. Sidney was feeling rather heated and the alcohol wasn’t helping. Was he crazy? Didn’t Rob just give him his blessing? “What exactly is going on here”, Sidney said. At that moment Charlotte couldn’t hold it together any more and burst out laughing. She was laughing so hard that tears were rolling down her face, which only caused Rob to snort out his laughter too. Sidney was stunned and then confused, and then when the light bulb turned on and he realized he was the butt of the joke, he started laughing too. 

Charlotte bent her finger at him suggesting that he come here. How could he resist. It was like they were magnets. He walked over to her chair and she stood up and kissed him soundly and then pushed him down in the chair and sat in his lap. Her father was still laughing and having a hard time getting himself under control. “Sorry Sss…” more laughter, “Sidney. I couldn’t help myself and it only got better when Charlotte just sat down and played right along”. Sidney just smirked at him. He couldn’t really appreciate the humor, but was sure maybe in a few years he might be able to look back fondly on this moment and laugh with Charlotte about it. “Now, I better get back to my wife. Don’t you two go getting pregnant and making me a grandpapa before you get married now, or I will never hear the end of it from Sylvie”. “Papa”! Now it was Charlotte’s turn to blush and Sidney just gulped down the rest of his whiskey. He could hear Rob laughing all the way back to the dining room. 

She stood and turned around and straddled him and started kissing his neck. In between her kisses, “Are”…kiss…”you”…kiss…”mad”…kiss…”at me”…kiss…”Luv”…here she licked all the way up to his ear and sucked the lobe into her mouth. How could he be mad when she made him so hot and hard? But, he wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of telling her that yet. She could probably tell anyway since his cock was hard as a rock. She gave him a big doe eyed smile, the one that he loved and actually batted her eyes at him. All he could do was kiss her with all the passion she stirred in him. She knew she was forgiven, didn’t need him to say it at all. She stood up and locked the study door. He just smirked at her and wondered what she was up to. He was positive he was about to find out and sure he would like it. 

Chapter 13

She sauntered back over to him. There was no other way to describe it. As she came she grabbed the pillow off the chair her father had just vacated. He wasn’t sure what she was up to, but she had his interest, something about the look on her face. She put the pillow on the floor between his feet. He was starting to panic as he understood her intention. She could see the panic on his face and thought it was cute. “I want to taste you” she purred. Yes, purred, there was no other way to describe it. What was he supposed to do? The love of his life, future mother of his children was on her knees before him, his whole fucking family was in the next room and would be really curious if they were gone too long and they found the locked door. He might never live it down in the Heywood family, and what was worse they would bring it up regularly and take it out just to poke fun at him. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings either, so when she quirked her eye brow at him in question, all he could do was nod his head. She gave him a big smile, winked at him and licked her lips. 

Charlotte was feeling confident in a way she never had before. They’d had enough sex now to know that Sidney was a very unselfish lover, kind, generous and always willing to learn. She had taken a page out of his playbook and had used the internet to learn how to properly bring her lover to satisfaction with her mouth. What she learned was that the male anatomy was so sensitive that it was really hard to do it wrong. That gave her the boost in confidence she needed to be bold enough to try this out. The fact that their whole family sat right in the next room only added fuel to the fire. She didn’t really want them to get caught, but the idea that it was a possibility was exciting. 

Sidney was really nervous about this. He had been hoping and waiting for Charlotte to try this, but when he pictured it happening, it was in the privacy of their bedroom, not in the study with their family close by. He didn’t know if he’d be able to relax enough to enjoy this, but he’d let her try anyway. She removed his shoes and socks, put them aside and caressed him slowly toes to groin. She had a very intent look on her face and he thought she was adorable. When she got to his fly of his jeans, she undid the button and pulled the zipper down. It was such a relief. He was so hard and his jeans had become really confining. She caressed him through his fitted boxers. She could feel how hard he was and smiled. God she was sexy. She slipped her index fingers into the waist band of his pants and tugged. Sidney lifted his hips so she could pull them down and with a little effort she had his pants and boxers off. Folding them neatly and adding them to the pile. She ran her finger tips down the length of him and played with his soft curly hair, wrapped them under his balls and lifted them to feel their weight. Placing her hands on the hem of his shirt, he understood what she wanted. Removing it, he handed it to her. She folded that too and placed it on the top of the pile. He was sitting there in the study naked as the day he was born, Charlotte still with all her clothing on and he never felt so awake. All his senses were heightened. He had forgotten all about their family in the next room, there was only her. She stood and straddled him again still with her hands gently massaging his cock. She looked down at his cock at full attention between her legs and kissed him and ground her hips into him at the same time. For a minute or two he thought she’s lost her nerve and maybe this was going in a different direction. He wasn’t disappointed. He was up for anything she had in mind. He was all hers.

She stood again and got back on her knees between his legs and used her hands to push them wider. She held him with one hand on the base of his cock and fondled his balls with the other, leaning in to him she swirled her hot, wet tongue around his tip. He arched his back and almost came in her mouth right then and there. She felt him twitch in her hand and smiled up at him, knowing she had all his attention. 

Feeling in command of Sidney’s pleasure was a heady thing and it was really turning her on. She could tell he was enjoying her attentions. Looking up at him, his eyes were hooded but watching everything she did. When she leaned in again and took his full length all the way into her mouth he moaned rather loudly. She came up and shushed him. Hearing loud talking next door she was almost sure they weren’t overheard, but she didn’t really didn’t want to get caught. “Will you be quiet please”, she chuckled. He gave her a cocky smile and said he’d try but he could make no promises. 

“Maybe this was a bad idea”, she said with a coy smile. “No, no, I will be good, I will be good. Don’t stop please. I have been hoping you would try this and my God it feels so good. You feel so damn good”. He had a shy smile on his face now, gone was all the bravado. How could she resist giving him all his pleasure when he asked like that? Charlotte took him in her mouth again and swirled he tongue around him, letting him go with a pop, blowing on his tip. He twitched for her. He wasn’t sure how much more he could take. Then she leaned down and licked his balls. He moved forward in his chair to give her better access. She sucked one into her mouth and Sidney drew in air sharply. Letting him go she did the same to the other one. Replacing her mouth with her hand she took his cock all the way in again sucking him hard while moving up and down him at a swift pace. He could feel the tightening in his balls. “Charlotte, I am going to come”, he croaked. He wanted to give her time to decide what to do. She just kept up the pace caressing him underneath as well. He couldn’t believe it when she put her middle finger on the rim of his ass and swirled it around. It was intimate and unexpected. “Charlotte”, he growled. She just kept moving and he couldn’t hold it anymore and exploded his seed into her throat. She took him all the way to the back of her throat humming so he could feel the vibrations all the way to his spine, she swallowed every bit of his come. She slowed down the pace and then licked him like a lollipop until he was clean. Looking up at him she smiled and got up and straddling him again kissed him with all the passion she felt in that moment. She was surprised how much she liked pleasuring him with her mouth and couldn’t wait to do it again. 

They sat for a while until their breathing calmed. Then she got up and handed him his clothes. She just watched him as he dressed a little satisfied smile on her face. He loved her so much. He couldn’t wait until they could excuse themselves and he could return the pleasure. There were more wolf whistles and cat calls as they went into the parlor on the other side of the dining room. Sidney felt his face flush causing the adults in the room to laugh. Charlotte’s oldest brother piped up,” Your game was so loud, we had to move it into the parlor”. Sidney’s jaw dropped. She leaned in to whisper,” Close your mouth Parker, he is just guessing and yanking your chain and you are just giving him more ammunition”!

Feeling foolish for the millionth time this evening he just smirked at Michael. At that moment Alicia piped up,”What game were you and Charlotte playing Uncle Sidney, we love games”. Sidney cleared his throat as the adults in the room chuckled. “Hmm, it was just a boring old game of Hide and Seek”. “We love hide and seek Uncle Sidney, you know that, why didn’t you ask us to play”? “Hide and Seek, that’s what they’re calling it now huh”, from Michael? “Yes, why didn’t you ask us all to play”, from her other Brother Sam. Charlotte told them that was all quite enough, which only made them, laugh harder. Sidney was obviously out of his depth here. Charlotte just raised her eyebrow at her brothers and they both cleared their throats and got as serious look on their faces. “Sorry Sidney…Sorry Charlotte” they chimed in unison. Sidney looked at them with a surprised look on his face. “None of us messes too much with Charlotte, she has a long memory like an elephant and she is devious in her revenge”, Sam told him. Sidney just laughed in awe of her, with one look she could bring her brothers to task. That was his woman, he loved her so much. He whispered it in her ear. 

Everyone was well behaved for the rest of the evening and they all sat around taking about their summer plans in Sanditon. It was an unusual as everyone could make it this year. Since they’d all gotten older and gotten married or had significant others or jobs with no work from home capabilities, they were usually short a few siblings for the summer and some were only able to spend a week or two. They were all really looking forward to it, as it might be a long time before they could all gather again like that. Sidney had invited the Babington’s and Crowe and his girlfriend to join them for the season too. Talk eventually moved to Sidney’s new project idea. He wanted to get Michael and Sam’s take on it. Michael was an architect in Brighton and Sam was a prominent builder in London. 

Charlotte was surprised to hear Sidney had a new project in the works and mentioned it. He just said it was in the early planning stage at this point and he hadn’t wanted to take away from her celebration of her own achievement. There would be plenty of time to talk about it next week in Sanditon. With any luck there would be another popular topic next week as well but he didn’t say that out loud. The little’s were getting tired by this time and some of them still had to drive back to the hotel. So the party adjourned and they all went to find their beds. Anne was here to help Mary with the kids and she would bunk with them in the bunk room to keep them all from getting too crazy. Sidney had hired a cook/house keeper for the weekend from a service the family used when they had lots of guests. That way no one had to worry about cooking or dishes. Charlotte was thankful for that. It gave everyone a proper few days off allowing them to just enjoy each others company.

Chapter 14

Sleep didn’t come easy to Sidney that night even after all their exertions of making love twice before they’d finally exhausted themselves. He was going over his conversation with Rob. Thinking about what Charlotte would say about getting married so soon. He knew she loved him and looked at their relationship as a permanent one. Marriage was a big step and at twenty two, maybe a huge one. She didn’t have a career set yet. He knew she wanted children the same as he did, but they were no where ready for that. It occurred to him that maybe they should have some more conversation about what she wanted to do. She had already talked of taking it easy this summer before diving in to job interviews and internships. He didn’t want to push her into making a decision before she was ready. Really after all he made plenty of money and had his inheritance. He could support them without any hardship. His Charlotte wouldn’t want that though, she was an independent woman and wanted to make her own mark on the world, so he hadn’t dared to suggest it.

Finally a few hours before dawn with all this still swirling around in his head Sidney fell asleep to the rhythm of Charlotte’s quiet breathing. He woke from the sun feeling a little hangover from the lack of sleep as much as the whiskey. He rolled into Charlotte, put his nose in her curls and tried to go back to sleep but his brain wouldn’t shut down. Going over and over again the idea that he needed to help Charlotte figure out what she wanted to do for work. He didn’t understand why it was making him so antsy. Well the truth was he did understand, he just didn’t want to think about it to deeply. Underneath it all he was worried she might not want to get married. He could handle it if she just wanted a long engagement, but what if she didn’t want to get married at all? What if deep down she didn’t think he was marriage material? Frustrated by his own thoughts he got up to go for a run, careful not to wake her. She had a big day ahead and there was no reason for her to be up this early. 

Charlotte woke about an hour after Sidney to an empty bed. That was unusual. Wondering where he was, she used the loo with a big smile on her face remembering the “loo Incident” as Sidney referred to it. She put on some sweats and a tee and made her way to the kitchen. No one else was up yet but Sidney wasn’t there. The only person she could find after searching the main floor was the cook who’d offered her coffee and breakfast. Sitting at the breakfast table with some fresh pastry and coffee she finally heard someone coming down the hall. Sidney entered the dining room with a serious face and not the one she so enjoyed, but one that looked like he was thinking through a problem. He was wearing black running shorts with his phone and wallet making the pockets push out and ruining the shape, a black tee and a grey hoodie with running shoes and short socks. He was covered in sweat and damn if he didn’t look good. It wasn’t fair that he was so sexy when sweaty from a workout. Her smile showed her desire and his face lit up with an answering smile. He knew exactly what she wanted. He grabbed her coffee and took a sip and winced, she liked cream, yuck. He swiped a pastry off her plate too with a sly grin and backed up out of the room mumbling with pastry in his mouth something about a shower as he arched his eyes in question. 

She picked up her plate and coffee and followed him up the stairs. He was already half undressed and finishing his last bite of pastry as she walked into the bathroom. Sidney made quick work of the rest of his clothing and she noticed how ready he was. He turned to put the water on as she undressed quickly. The thing that Sidney liked best about this bathroom was the shower. It was a double all tiled with a window out the back, two shower heads, one on either end and best of all a bench seat that stuck out about half the with of the little room perpendicular to the window wall with glass doors to close it off. He’d always loved sitting there after a good workout with the hot water hitting him about chest level from both sides. 

Sidney stepped in, turned and sat on the bench facing her and spread his legs wide so she could see his full erection beckoning to her. He had a cocky grin on his face and crooked his finger and in his low seductive, I want you voice said, “Come” and then held out his hand to her waiting. Charlotte felt hot liquid pool in her mouth and between her legs. That might be the hottest thing she’d ever seen or heard. She stood there looking at him for a minute, taking him in, so she could remember it well later. It was like taking a picture in her mind. 

Walking slowly towards him she took his hand and pulled the shower door closed. “Front or back”, she said. He understood that she was asking if he wanted her facing him or away. He thought for a second. If she sat facing him he could kiss her and see her when she came undone for him. If she sat with her back to him he could pleasure her at the same time he took his pleasure…always a dilemma. “Back”, he finally decided. He wanted to give her pleasure too. He could watch her come another time. 

He held her hand for balance as she sat backwards and straddled him. He reached his other hand down to get himself in position at her already wet entrance. “Hmmm..You’re already so wet for me Luv”. “It’s what you do to me”. She bent her knees to sit and took him all at once. They both sighed their pleasure at the feeling of being in the right place. Sidney let her hand go and wrapped his arms around her middle spreading her legs wide. He pushed up into her once, twice, a third time while kissing her shoulder and neck and nibbling on her ear. He moved his left hand across her body to her opposite breast and his right hand went to her sweet spot. He wrapped his feet around hers so she couldn’t close her legs. She felt so vulnerable this way. She arched her back and pushed her breast into his hand. He pinched her nipple and massaged her. She was bigger then his hand and he loved her soft skin. His other hand was busy with a finger on either side of her most sensitive spot using just enough pressure in a circular motion while he slowly moved his hips up and down again. 

It was pure feeling, sensory overload, too much and not enough. Charlotte moaned so loudly it reverberated off the wet tile walls. The hot water falling on her skin, his hands on her sensitive parts, his huge, full cock pumping so slowly in and out of her, she couldn’t take much more so she begged him for some relief. “Feel me Luv. Feel me here”. He increased the pressure between her legs with his hand. “Feel me here,” he licked her neck from her shoulder to the pulse point under her ear. The turned her head towards his and he took her mouth as she moaned into it. He released her mouth. “Feel me here”. He pinched one nipple and then massaged her other breast. “Feel me here”. He pumped in and out of her again at an ever increasing pace increasing the pace of his hand work to match. Charlotte yelled out as she came so hard she wasn’t sure if it was pleasure or pain. He watched her come undone in the full mirror across from the shower. Sidney immediately slowed everything down and released her legs giving her time to recover herself. Charlotte was almost limp. Her muscles were quivering everywhere and her head rested back on his shoulder. He moved his hands to her hips to keep her in place still pumping ever so slowly in and out. She needed time. She couldn’t function at the moment, no thoughts in her head.

After a few minutes she whispered, “I love you so much Sidney. Now, fuck me hard!” She felt him harden even more. He needed no further invitation. With his hands still on her hips he lifted her and then pushed her down hard on him at the same time he moved his hips up. She called out again. He set very fast pace and she helped by moving her hips against him. She snaked her hands around behind him to squeeze his bum. He had such a nice bum. Sidney was humming and she was calling out loudly. It didn’t take more then a minute or two before Sidney was yelling out,”Oh Fuck, Fuck that feels good”. They were spent, both trying to catch their breath. Sidney scooted them back to lean against the wall behind them with the hot water still cascading down their bodies. Sitting like that until the water temperature started cooling, they got up and washed quickly before it turned icy cold. They dried off, brushed their teeth, and got dressed for the ceremony. Charlotte was dressed in a beautiful off the shoulder dress that hit her about mid thigh. The material on the front crisscrossed and gathered with an empire waste with a flowing skirt, paring it with strappy silver low healed sandals and silver hoop earrings.

Chapter 15

Sidney came up behind her at the mirror dressed in dress charcoal grey dress slacks and a white shirt with the top two buttons undone. God he cleaned up nice. She’d always liked him in a suit. He moved her hair to one side and kissed her neck presenting her with a large velvet jewelry box. Charlotte gasped and looked at his eyes in the mirror. “This belonged to my Mother and I thought it would be a lovely gift for your graduation.” He opened the box and the most beautiful necklace lay inside. It was thin wiry white gold pieces twisted into an interlocking leaf pattern each with a pearl set in the middle. It was very organic and obviously handmade in its imperfections. It was truly a work of art. She loved it and she loved that he wanted her to have his Mothers necklace. He took it out of the box. She held up her hair and he placed it around her neck. He fumbled with the clasp a bit, but eventually got it to work. “I love you Charlotte. You are brilliant and beautiful and absolutely the perfect woman for me.” 

With tears in her eyes, she turned in his arms and kissed him, slowly, tenderly, and with as much emotion as she was feeling. She let his lips go and leaned her head against his. “You make me feel so cherished”. She kissed him again and said, “Thank you for this beautiful and meaningful gift. I will always keep it close.” Smiling he took her hand and suggested they go down for breakfast with the family. 

Everyone was sat around the dining room table. There was an abundance of food laid out on the buffet. This was a celebration after all. They were all eating and having little separate conversations around the table. Mary noticed Charlotte’s necklace and said, “I see Sidney gave you your present early. I have always thought that the most beautifully delicate piece in their Mother’s collection. It matches your dress perfectly. No wonder he gave it to you before the ceremony”. Charlotte thanked her for the compliment. Mary explained that each of the children had received pieces from her collection and that Sidney had asked Tom to bring it from the safe at Trafalgar House. Charlotte was touched, Sidney had neglected to tell her that little detail. 

Breakfast consumed everyone got ready to go to the college. The ceremony was to be held in the Sheldonian Theatre on the Oxford campus. As they all made their way outside there was a line of limos on the street out front. Charlotte looked questioningly at Sidney. He explained since there were so many of them and the drive took an hour, he’d surprise them with limo’s so no one had to do all the driving and could enjoy the party after the ceremony. Charlotte hugged him close and whispered a thank you in his ear. He was so thoughtful. Pleased that she was happy with his second gift, they all split up to their different cars. Sparkling wine in glass flutes for the adults and sparkling apple juice in cups with lids and straws for the kids was his third surprise gift. Charlotte just gave him her biggest smile and mouthed another thank you. She held his hand and leaned her body into him. They drank their wine and chatted about what they though the catered food would be like at the party and weather they would have a DJ or a live band. 

The ceremony was planned for noon with the party after at 3pm. Like most schools these days there were only four tickets for family for the event. Two for Charlotte’s parents of course, one for Sidney and one for Allison, Charlotte’s sister. Sidney had arranged tickets to the local children’s puppet theatre and a trip for ice-cream and coffee afterwards for those without tickets for the ceremony. The limo’s were at their disposal and would drop them back in time for the party. Charlotte was amazed, Sidney had thought of everything. 

The ceremony was long and boring, but her family sat through it patiently and cheered the loudest when she received her diploma. There was a champagne toast with light horderves in the lobby following the ceremony and the rest of the family got back just towards the end of that. There was a short walk away to the party venue in the large hall in one of the oldest buildings on campus. Signature drinks were served and the live band played light dance music as more horderves were passed around by waiters dressed in tuxedo shirts and pants with bowties. 

The champagne was going to her head, so Charlotte asked Sidney to get her some water. While he was gone James came up and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek to congratulate her. They were chatting when Sidney came back with her water. Both men shook hands and sized each other up a bit. “Congratulations Sidney on finally figuring out that Charlotte is a fantastic woman. I wish you guys every happiness.” Sidney looked at James and could tell he was sincere. He told James that he had always known Charlotte was fantastic and for a long time that he was in love with her, it had just taken him a while to figure out how to tell her. “Well you both look very happy together. If you will excuse me, my family is waiting for me. Charlotte, save me a dance will you”? She nodded her head as he moved away. 

“I like him, he is a really decent chap,” Sidney told her. The band started playing their version of “Unforgettable”, by Nat King Cole. Sidney held out his hand and asked her to dance. He’d requested the song when he went to get her water. As he held her close he whispered in her ear, “I requested this song to dance to. It makes me think of you.” She put her head on his shoulder as he held her close swaying to the music and listened to the lyrics. She told him it was a perfect song for their first dance. He laughed and told her they’d danced before many times. She said those didn’t count as they hadn’t told each other they loved each other yet. He just smiled and held her closer. The party was lovely. She’d had a dance each with James, Arthur, Tom, her father and each of her brothers, but Sidney dominated her dance card. It was a perfect evening. They chatted quietly about the party on the way home and then bid everyone good night. 

“Would you like an aperitif”, Sidney asked? 

“Yes, that would be nice.”

“Brandy or sherry?”

“Sherry I think.”

They went hand in hand to the parlor. Charlotte sat to remove her shoes, her feet were killing her. Sidney poured their drinks, put hers down on the table next to her, sat beside her on the sofa and sipped his drink. He liked the burn of the brandy. He asked her if her feet were sore from all the dancing. She nodded her head. He patted his knee and old her to put them there. She did as he asked as he leaned over to put his drink down. He rubbed her sore feet as she leaned back in heaven. She looked up when he finished and he gave her a heated look and getting up asked if they should take their drinks upstairs. They made love slow and easy and went to sleep. Tomorrow was an early day, packing up the house and driving to their Sanditon season. 

The drive took about four hours and everyone had their own cars so he and Charlotte finally had some time alone. Sidney had had an epiphany that morning and he wanted to talk to her about it. He told her all about the new project he was excited about. Charlotte shared his enthusiasm for bringing affordable housing to the locals of Sanditon. He was glad, that was good start. He talked about his conversations with the bank, Babington, Crowe and her brothers. Wanting her to understand it in detail he gave her as much information as possible and tried to answer all her questions as best he could. She was smiling and animated and making little interested noises here and there and even had some good suggestions. He was impressed. Finally, he gave his pitch. He told her he would make this project its own company, separate from the resort and his own company. He would be the COO and Babington would act at least for the first year as CFO, but that they would need a good general business manager, someone they could trust. He stopped there to give her time to think before he offered her the job. 

Charlotte was getting very excited by this conversation. It sounded like her dream job, she could live and work in Sanditon and be near the sea she loved so much. This was a perfect situation for her and Sidney to continue their relationship. Wow, would he even consider her for it. She’d only just graduated and had almost no experience in management. You couldn’t really count her part time summer camp job at the resort over the years. She had managed an ice-cream shop near school for two of the years she was there, but that hardly qualified her for this job. 

After a few minutes he asked her what she thought. She told him it sounded like a wonderful job for the right person. He told her that wasn’t a problem because he already knew who would be perfect for the job. He described the person as brilliant with experience in management with the right degree requirements. She frowned, feeling disappointed, thinking he couldn’t be possibly talking about her. He smiled knowing exactly what she was thinking. “You shouldn’t doubt yourself, you are equal to this task, I couldn’t possibly trust anyone more. I know you may feel like you don’t have enough experience, but you have some and Bab’s and I will be right there beside you to help you learn as you go”.

Her jaw dropped. She couldn’t believe he’d just offered her the dream job she had always wanted. She had a myriad of expressions cross her face, surprise, fear, joy, acceptance and finally ending with a sly smile. “Well Mr. Parker, that will all depend on the salary and benefits package you are offering,” she said in her most business like tone. He just told her he thought she would be more then satisfied with the benefits and wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively. She just laughed out loud and punched him in the arm. 

As they got close to Sanditon, he suggested they park and take a walk along the cliff tops. She told him that suited her tastes. It was windy but fairly warm as it was starting to get close to the summer season. They strolled along in companionable silence and sat out on an outcropping of rocks. They sat side by side with their arms around each other staring out to sea, each lost in their own thought. Eventually Sidney asked her intentions. She gave him a confused look. With the job he told her. Was she going to take the job he’d offered? She just looked at him like he’d lost all his marbles. She told of course she was taking the job, she would be stupid not to. He told her that as her new boss, she could only have the week he expected her in the office first thing a week from Monday. Charlotte just laughed at him and told him not to get a big bossy head and she was not the least bit sorry not to have the summer off. She was with Sidney, she had a new dream job right out of school, and she got to live in Sanditon, be near her family and start a whole new chapter of her life. He leaned over and took her face in his hands looking her in the eyes for a minute admiring her beautiful flushed face, her big doe eyes and wild curls. He loved her so much. He leaned in and took her lips in his. She parted hers slightly and he slid his tongue in to merge with hers. He sat up straighter to deepen the kiss it had started slow and quickly got heated. He rubbed his nose against hers and rested his forehead against her to catch his breath. Then he got up and took her hand helping her up and they walked back to the car. He was so happy right now. Everything was falling into place as he hoped and planned. Just one more step and his life would be set. He only hoped she was ready. 

Chapter 16

He woke at dawn, Charlotte warm and sleeping next to him on the pillow. They hadn’t been sleeping long, up talking, planning and making love a few times. They couldn’t get enough of each other it seemed. It was how he’d always thought a relationship should be. He can’t believe he’d almost proposed to Eliza and doomed himself to a loveless marriage. Thank God she had cheated on him. He wasn’t sure why he had believed he was an average lover. He had tried so hard to please her in every area of their lives and she’d had him thinking something was wrong with him. He realized now that it was her. She was a little cold, a lot unfeeling and very materialistic. She wasn’t a horrible person, she just wasn’t Charlotte. 

He was feeling kind of nervous. He was hoping that what he was planning today wouldn’t backfire on him. He had it all set up. Tom and Mary were handling all of the details over at the resort. He had asked Charlotte to go to dinner with him again at Crowe’s restaurant so she would be dressed appropriately. He would get what he needed from the safe later today. The plan was to entertain the little’s today at the beach and take them to their favorite ice cream shop before the season kicked in and it got crowded. Then they’d come back her and give them over to Anne for the night and get ready for their dinner together. He didn’t think he was forgetting anything. 

The day was perfect. The sky was blue. The sun was shining and the sand was warm between their toes. They flew kites, skipped stones and built sand castles. Charlotte had packed them lunch and afterwards they walked all full of sand to get ice cream. So far everything was going to plan. They dropped the kids off with Anne and wished them good night. They showered and dressed and when Charlotte was putting on her make up. Sidney told her he’d meet her in the garden so they could take a sunset walk in the cove before they left. He told her he had to get some papers from the study for Tom. They could drop them at the resort after dinner. She just nodded and told him she’d be down in ten minutes. 

Sidney was in the garden pacing back and fourth when she came out. She didn’t think much of it. He had a lot on his mind setting up the new business. They were to go on Monday to look at some office spaces. When he saw her he stopped his pacing and came to give her a hug. He wanted to kiss her, but didn’t want to ruin her lipstick. She looked beautiful in a gold sheath dress that hugged her body and gold strappy high healed stilettos. They made her taller and almost eye level with him. He told her how beautiful she looked. He looked good to. Dark navy dress slacks and a lighter blue dress shirt with his signature no tie and two top buttons opened. He could see a smattering of his chest hair and longed to run her fingers through it. 

He suggested they sit on the bench and take off their shoes. It would ruin hers to walk in the sand. There was a faucet at the top of the stairs where they could wash after their walk. He knelt down to help her remove her shoes and then took his socks and shoes off too and placed them under the bench. He stood and took her hand and led her down to the cove. The sun was just about to set, it was perfect timing. Charlotte was looking at her feet walking down the natural stone steps in the cliff side. It was easy to trip in this light, so she didn’t see the cabana and all the candles set around on the beach. 

When they reached the bottom and looked up Sidney was sure to be looking at her. He wanted to remember her face when she saw what he’d done and it was so worth it. Her whole face lit up and she smiled. “You’ve done all this for me”? He told her that of course he had, he loved her and wanted to spoil her. He wondered right then if she knew what he’d planned. He walked her over to the cabana and there was a table and chairs all set for dinner, red roses in a bowl in the center. Champagne in an ice bucket stand behind the table and candles in tall candle sticks all set around the space. 

Two waiters, a man and a woman she recognized from the resort came down the steps with trays covered in silver domes. They set the trays on stands and the woman came to open the champagne while the man placed their napkins and served the entrees. The plates looked lovely, flakey broiled fish and a lobster tail with a Mornay sauce over the fish, a cup of clarified butter and hand cut french fried potatoes with homemade spicy catsup. The wine was poured and as fast as they’d arrived they asked if anything else was needed, after getting a no they were gone. 

Sidney took her hands across the table and smiled at her then picked up her left hand kissed her ring finger. He wondered if she noticed. He was pushing his luck, he knew, but he was having a hard time keeping to his plan. Sidney picked up his glass and held it up,”A toast, too us about to embark on a new adventure.” Charlotte thought this was a lovely way to celebrate their new business partnership and clinked her glass gently with his. They ate their meal and talked about their plans for the week. Sidney had made an appointment with a local real estate company to take them around and show them some office space. They had someone at the resort that could handle that, but he wanted to keep the businesses separate and since the whole idea was to help locals living in the area it made good business sense to use the local agency. They finished up their meal and Sidney asked if she’d like some more champagne. She said yes and he got up to get it behind her. 

When he came back he knelt down in front of her on one knee holding a ring box open in his hand. He took her left hand in his and looked in her eyes which were swimming with unshed tears. “My darling Charlotte, you have always had my love from the first time we met. First as friends, now as lovers, you are my very best friend. The person I want to wake up to each morning and sleep close to each night. I want you to be the mother of my children and I want us to grow old with you watching our grandchildren playing in the garden. Will you do me the extraordinary honor of becoming my wife?” 

Charlotte was so overwhelmed she dropped his hand, closed her eyes and bringing her hands up to cover her face sobbed loudly. She heard him fidgeting in front of her but she needed a minute. All her old long held in emotions about never getting to be with Sidney as she wanted floated to the surface and she couldn’t hold them in. I took her what seemed like minutes to look up again and to her utter shock he was gone. She looked around thinking he’d gone for the champagne, but he was nowhere in site. Confused she got up. Picked up the ring box he’d left on the table and walked down to the water to see if he was there. She couldn’t imagine where he went, or why he left. She saw him in the distance near the rock outcropping separating this cove from his cove and headed in that direction. She called out to him but he didn’t turn around. She called out his name louder thinking he might not have heard her and he stopped, but didn’t turn around. She didn’t understand what was wrong, going over the conversation and everything he said in his beautiful proposal. Then it dawned on her that he had misunderstood why she was crying. She took off running in his direction and when she reached him breathless and he still wouldn’t turn around she took his hand and walked around his body to face him. He was the saddest she’d ever seen and tears were silently rolling down his face. 

“Wait…wait...wait…what’s going on here? Why are you crying? You left me and didn’t wait for my answer.”

“Oh Charlotte, I just couldn’t sit there and wait for you to tell me you wouldn’t marry me. It was breaking my heart. I mean, I understand. You are young and who knows who you will meet. Maybe you want to keep your options open. Maybe you will be ready when you’re older to accept me. But, I have to be honest, it’s breaking me. I wasn’t sure you’d be ready. I knew I was taking a risk. I thought I was prepared if you said no. I expected it. But I was hoping and when you were about to tell me no, I just couldn’t stand it so I left. Can you forgive me? I will try to do better and not make it weird between us and you can still have your job. I created the job for you after all.”

She put her arms around his middle and pulled him close. He leaned his head on hers and sobbed quietly. She let him go to wipe his tears. “You are a very ridiculous man Sidney Parker, and as dumb as a box of rocks.” He sobbed again and tried to pull out of her embrace. He’d expected the “no”, but he hadn’t expected her to berate him. It was just too much. This was the second time now, maybe he wasn’t cut out for relationships or marriage. He obviously had very little understanding of women. He thought he and Charlotte were happy together. I mean it had been the happiest several weeks of his life. He thought she felt the same. 

Charlotte just held on tighter. She was more then familiar with his stubborn self deprecating side. It had come out even stronger after Eliza came into his life. He wouldn’t look her in the eye, just stood stone still with his hands at his sides. “Sidney?” No response. “Sidney James Parker Look at me!”, she said in a smart tone. His eyes popped to hers, the sad look still in his eyes. “You are the love of my life. You are the only one I ever want. That was the most beautiful, thoughtful and romantic proposal a girl could ever ask for, Thank You. However, it is customary for the proposer to wait for the proposee to answer I think. In case you were wondering my answer is an emphatic YES! I want to watch our grandchildren playing in the garden when we’re old too.” 

He couldn’t speak. He just hugged her to him and buried his face in her neck, the sent of her perfume all around him. Had she just said yes? Did she mean it? He was such a colossal idiot for leaving before she had given him an answer. He’d ruined the whole evening with his doubt. He should have had more faith in her. 

“Did you just accept me Charlotte Elizabeth Heywood?” She just nodded her head and handed him the ring box. He got back down on his knee “Your left hand My Lady?” He slipped the ring on her finger and stood up. He laughed out loud and picked her up and swung them in a circle his lips crashing into her for a fierce kiss. He put her down and looked into her eyes. Telling her he didn’t think proposee was a real word. She just laughed at him and kissed him again, tenderly this time. It turned heated and then Sidney remembered the party. “We have to go Charlotte. I forgot I still have to drop those papers for Tom to the resort”, he said sheepishly. She let him go and they walked back to the house. It was a shame she thought to herself that they couldn’t use the cabana more. It was lovely out here tonight.

They got to the resort and placed the papers on tom’s desk. He asked if she’d like to go sit out on the deck by the pool and have another glass of champagne to celebrate. She said that sounded good. As they walked through the back of lobby in the direction of the pool, she could hear muffled music playing. She didn’t think much of it. They often had large parties and events. Sidney asked her to wait a sec. He took out his phone and answered a text. “Tom, texting to see if we’d dropped of the paperwork. They walked out on the patio, “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran was playing and all their friends and family were there. The party was obviously in full swing. Sidney leaned in and whispered in her ear, “This is our engagement party, will you dance with me?” Charlotte had no words she just followed him to the dance floor to everyone clapping and cheering. 

They both felt like this was the best night of their lives so far, even with Sidney’s slight misunderstanding. They danced till their feet hurt, drank way too much champagne and celebrated with their friends well into the morning hours. Tom and Mary drove them home and helped them to bed. They were both a little too drunk. Giggling and fumbling around they made love. It was sloppy and not their best effort, but neither cared a bit. They were together and they had the rest of their lives to get it right. They fell asleep happily tangled together looking forward to their future.

**The End**


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been getting such positive comments from all you beautiful readers. So here is another chapter.  
> Shout out to Glendeco asking for wedding and business details.

Chapter 17

Sunday they slept in till well into the afternoon a little hung over. Mary had thoughtfully made them breakfast in bed and left it outside the door with a slight knock around 10am. They were grateful for the sustenance without having to get dressed and sat in bed and ate, ridiculously feeding each other or licking crumbs off the other’s face. This of course led to some heated sex and finishing their breakfast cold, they didn’t mind. Afterwards they cuddled up and fell back asleep and several hours later Charlotte awoke to Sidney trailing kisses down her neck from her ear to her collar bone. She hummed her approval and this encouraged Sidney to continue trailing wet kisses down to her breasts, taking a nipple between his lips and licking the swollen tip with his tongue. She arched her back a little wiggling her hips. He continued to her other side with the same treatment. Sliding one hand down her body and between her legs, he ran his fingers along her folds massaging with slight pressure. Then up through her curls up to her navel and back down slowly to her entrance and dipping in with his fingers to get them wet. Charlotte moved her hips up to get a little friction. “Needy this afternoon my Darling? Why in such a hurry? We can take our time, no one is expecting us and Mary will undoubtedly keep us fed.”

“Sidney please don’t tease me, you know what I need.” Not being able to help himself, he didn’t make her wait any longer and moved his wet fingers to the place she desired most. Moving down her body to put his tongue in her entrance to taste her. She arched her back more then overwhelmed by the sensations he was making her body feel. It was always like this with them, totally intense passion. She was always so surprised that it felt this way every time. He wondered if it would always be like this between them, heated and intimately close, amazed that it was this way each time they joined together.

Sidney brought Charlotte to an intense orgasm and then entered her in one swift thrust setting a punishing pace. He loved the varying degrees of their loving. Sometimes it was incredibly tender drawing out intense feelings he thought he could never feel for another person. Other times were like this all hunger and heat and sensation. Charlotte was building again fast and she met him thrust for thrust chasing her orgasm. Sidney felt his own release was imminent and as her walls started pulsing around him he let himself go with a groan of ecstasy mumbling her name as he did. Charlotte’s orgasm was intense and she was spent. They lay there for a while as they caught their breaths.

Finally they got up to get showered and dressed to finally show their faces downstairs. “Good afternoon love birds. I was just about to make tea for everyone. Will you join us?” They were grateful to Mary, agreeing that tea would be lovely as they were both starving. Mary just grinned at them, raised her eyebrows and went in to the kitchen to put the kettle on. This just made them smile and giggle to each other. They walked into the living room hand and hand and sat down to play with the little’s on the floor until tea was ready. 

The rest of the day was easy and spent with the family. Charlotte helped Mary prepare for dinner and clean up. When they were finished Sidney bid everyone goodnight and told them he and Charlotte had an early morning and were retiring for the evening. Mary just smirked at them and wished them goodnight. 

Monday morning dawned to a grey drizzling. Charlotte tried to tempt Sidney into a second round of lovemaking rather then get up to get ready for their meeting with the real estate agent. He compromised with another go in the shower instead, two birds one stone. They met the agent at the first address on the list. They had four places to look at. This one was a dud. Too small and in an alley off the main road through town. They weren’t looking for anything fancy, but wanted it to at least have enough space for three offices. One for Sidney, one for Charlotte and one extra incase they needed to hire any extra help. It also needed to have a nice entry with room for an assistant who would help with the phone and scheduling. 

The second and third spaces were just as disappointing and Charlotte was getting discouraged. She was thinking maybe they wouldn’t be able to find office space inside the town proper and Sidney was feeling the same way. They didn’t have to worry though the agent had kept the best spot for last. It was a little more expensive then Sidney had budgeted as it had four offices instead of three, but it was right on the main street at a busy cross street. It was an old building of brick. Two floors, with the space they were looking at on the main floor. It had huge picture pane windows that let in a lot of light, with a generous reception area, four small offices, and a kitchen and bathroom in the back. It had recently been remodeled and had the interior brick exposed and tall ceilings. It was beautiful and they decided to take it right away. 

On the way home Charlotte suggested they go over to Crowe’s “Ocean Blue” to celebrate, smirking at Sidney to remind him of the other night. He agreed that it sounded like a lovely plan. Getting back to Trafalgar House it was just time for the little’s to be home from school. Baby James was still napping so they took Alicia, Jenny and Henry to the beach to play. Mary joined them later when James awoke. Sidney took the baby as soon as Mary walked up and sat with him in the sand. James squealed in delight when his toes hit the cold sand making everyone laugh. The children and their uncle were concentrated on making a motor speedway for Henry’s toy cars so Charlotte and Mary had the opportunity for a little private conversation. 

“You make him so happy Charlotte. I’ve never seen him so alive. You bring out his very best personality.” Blushing slightly at the compliment Charlotte told Mary she was the lucky one. She never imagined in a million years that she and Sidney would be getting married. Mary told her that she wasn’t the least bit surprised. She had always suspected that they harbored feelings for each other and was just waiting for one of them to make it known to the other. She said it had been a very long and frustrating wait and many times had contemplated helping it along, but in the end decided it was best to just let it take its natural course. Charlotte asked if everyone in the family knew before they did. Mary just laughed and nodded her head. 

The sun was setting and they needed to go home to see to dinner. Sidney asked Charlotte to stay and walk with him a bit. He said he had something to talk to her about. Mary gathered the children, put James and the toys in his stroller and walked them all in the direction of home. Sidney grabbed Charlotte’s hand and walked them in the other direction down the beach so they could watch the sunset together. 

“I was wondering when you would like to get married Luv? We haven’t really had time to discuss what kind of wedding to have or where since we have had a whirlwind romance, declared ourselves and got engaged all in the matter of weeks. I was wondering what your thoughts were?”

“Well, that is a lot all packed into one tidy question now isn’t it”, she answered? He just smiled shyly at her and told her that it was really two questions. “I don’t really see any reason to have a prolonged engagement since we both know we are ready. I think just a small quiet ceremony, just close friends and family, maybe in the cove where you proposed? We could have a larger reception party if you’d like, but I would be fine with that staying small and intimate and maybe having it in the garden at the house? Keeping it small means we can have it sooner rather then later. What do you think," Charlotte asked?

Sidney caught her in an embrace and kissed her tenderly. Pulling back to look at her face, he gave her a sweet sexy smile,”Those are my thoughts exactly. Yes, to all of it and a small party of close family and friends in the garden at the house is perfect for me too.” She smiled and kissed his lips again and told him they were agreed then. 

“I’d really like to be married and have our honeymoon before we get too far along with our business. That way we can enjoy ourselves and not be worried about leaving our fledgling business at a crucial time. We are going to have to wait for our business license and it will take time for our building plans to go through the council here and get approved. The parkers are well known here so I am banking that the name will help push through all the red tape that normally surrounds projects like ours. Still it may take several months. We can fill out the paperwork needed before we leave and then Babington can handle all the interviews and field questions. I’ve already spoken with Tom and he can do without me at the resort for the next few months.” Here Charlotte just raised her eyebrows at him, smiled and then wrapped her arms around his middle and hugged him tight to her. “So, I was thinking…” Here Sidney paused, waiting for her to look up at him. He wanted to see her reaction to his next question. When she looked up and met his eyes he continued. “We could marry two Saturdays from now and then take the rest of the summer and travel anywhere your heart desires. We can take some time alone and really get to know each other as a married couple before we come back here and get involved in our business that will take up so much of our time. It will be like our child and we will not get enough rest or time together once we have it.”

“You had me at two weeks Sidney. Yes, I will marry you in two weeks. I hope you’re ready for this. Two weeks is not enough time to plan a wedding. My Mother and Mary may want to kill us for this decision, But I am all in for all of it. Where would you like to go first on our honeymoon? I’m thinking Paris, or Bali, or Florence….Thailand?” Sidney just shook his head, kissed her, an pulled her tight to his chest laughing


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 18  
  
  
Her Mother and Mary were beside themselves when they were told the wedding would be in two weeks. There were a million things to do. Charlotte ’s dress was easier then they all thought. She found a vintage cream colored sun dress that was perfect for a beach wedding. She asked her best friend Esther to be her maid of honor, and Sidney ’s nieces would be flower girls. Sidney asked his best friend Babington to be his best man and his nephew would be the ring bearer.   


Sidney hired the same company he’d used for their engagement to build the cabanas on the beach and hired a local photographer for pictures. The resort would cater the wedding party in the garden and provide the staff. He also hired a string quartet to play music both for the ceremony and the party, and a DJ for later in the evening for dancing.   


The day of the wedding the weather was perfect, it was balmy with very little wind. As Charlotte dressed in their room with her Mother, Mary, Esther, and the little girls, her sister Allison was in charge of making sure everything was set up properly and that the guests knew where to go. Sidney, Babington, Crowe and Tom were at the resort. They had reserved a Suite for the wedding day to get ready and Sidney and Charlotte would spend the night here before leaving for their honeymoon.   


The newlyweds would be leaving the following afternoon for Bali to spend a week enjoying the beaches there before they decided where else they wanted to go. Sidney had secretly already booked accommodations in Paris , Florence and Bangkok as well as a wedding present for Charlotte. It was all the places she rambled on about when they had set their wedding date.   


Charlotte ’s Mother was very emotional today. She was so happy for her oldest daughter to have found the man she wanted to spend her life with. The fact that it was Sidney and her best friend’s second son was just icing on the cake. She missed her friend today. She would have been so proud of her son and happy to see him so in love with Charlotte . They had always joked, only half seriously about them getting married one day. As children they had always been devoted to each other. It was hard as mothers not to speculate.  


Charlotte noticed her mother’s mood and gave her a long hug. She knew she was missing her best friend today. Her Papa knocked on the door and had tears in his eyes when he hugged his daughter. “You look so beautiful honey”. She had done her hair up in a loose bun with Lilly’s of the valley in her hair and a few loose curls framing her face. She would wear her feet bare for the ceremony and had some beautiful strappy high heals to wear for the garden party. Charlotte ’s Papa handed her a large jewelry case and an envelope and told her that Sidney had made him promise to give this to her before the ceremony.   


Everyone left the room to give her a moment alone and told her to come down when she was ready. She opened the box to a beautiful pearl necklace and earring set. They were obviously antiques, cream and tan fresh water pearls alternating in a bronzed metal chain setting with matching earrings. They were exquisite. She opened the envelope and inside was a hand written letter from Sidney .  
  
My dearest Charlotte ,  
  
Today you will make me the happiest of men and become my wife. It has been my sincerest wish for a very long time and today my wish will come true. I cherish everything about you and I want you to know that I will be your loyal loving husband always. The gift that accompanies thisletter is for you. The jewelry belonged to my mother and was presented to her on her wedding day by my father. The pearls have been passed down in my family for generations. You would do me a great honor if you would wear them today. I can’t wait until you walk down the isle towards me and we can start our life together.  
  
In loving anticipation,  
Sidney  
  
Charlotte wiped the tears from her eyes and spent a few minutes fixing her makeup. She made her way down to the garden where Esther, the girls, Henry and her Papa were waiting for her.

The music started and Esther made her way down the cliff steps. Babington waited at the bottom to escort her to her place. The girls followed dropping rose petals the whole way. Henry went next with his little pillow skipping down the whole way to the delight of the adults. Her Papa took her arm and leaning in gave her a kiss and whispered “I love you my Darling girl and I am so proud to be your Papa.” She looked up to him and saw the tears swimming in his soft eyes.   


She wasn’t nervous which surprised her. She just felt like this was the natural progression of her relationship with Sidney . It was just right. When they got to the bottom of the cliff stairs she looked up and saw him standing next to Babington at the alter. He was so handsome in his wedding suit, cream pants and suit jacket to match her dress, white dress shirt, no tie of course and open at the top. His feet were bare. He smiled just for her, that special smile that melted her inside. Her Papa kissed her and gave her hand to Sidney .  


He could barely breathe as she walked down the isle towards him. She was so gorgeous, in a simple white flowing sundress. Her hair up off her shoulders with his Mother’s necklace adorning her beautiful neck. Her feet were bare and he was lost.   


The ceremony went buy in a blur with the couple looking adoringly at each other they repeated their vows. The vicar pronounced them man and wife and Sidney leaned in and gave her the tenderest of kisses. She wouldn’t let him go and kissed him again while their guests cheered. Walking back down the isle as man and wife, he was the happiest he’d ever been. He held her hand up the steps and walked her into the house to have a minute alone with her before the guests made their way up the stairs.   


Walking her through the house where catering staff was busy working and back to Tom’s study where he locked the door behind them. She was in his arms as soon as he turned back to her. They spent several minutes kissing passionately and wondering if they could sneak upstairs unnoticed. Eventually they both needed air and he leaned his forehead on hers and smiled. “Well Wife, I suppose we must go and greet our guests.” She pouted adorably and tipped her head up to his lips again. Laughing he kissed her back.   


The garden party was lovely, not too hot, and the flowers that Mrs. Parker had planted were all in bloom. Sparkling wine and horderves were served while classical music played unobtrusively in the back round. Tables were brought in and set while guests mingled and a dance floor was placed at one end of the garden. The meal was served, speeches given and the tables cleared away. The DJ started music off with a first dance for the bride and groom they danced to “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran.   


Everything fell away. It was just the two of them in a little happy bubble of perfection. They didn’t even notice when the song stopped and the next began. After the third song, Charlotte ’s Papa stepped up and asked if he could have the dance. Sidney didn’t want to let her go, but of course went to ask her mother to dance. The rest of the party went by slowly for them and when the cake was cut, they couldn’t wait to take their leave.   


Sidney had ordered an old fashioned horse and carriage team to take them to the resort. It was a perfect white open carriage with six spectacular black Arabian horses. It had cost a fortune, but it was worth it to see the look of pleasure on his new wife’s face. He knew she had a love for anything from the Jane Austin era. They rode away to the cheers of their guests and a rain shower of birdseed. Charlotte ’s siblings had a put a just married sign, strings with shoes and cans tied to the back and a bottle of cold Champaign and glasses inside. They both enjoyed their wine and holding each other’s hands for the half hour trip to the resort.   


When they arrived, Sidney hopped down first and thanked their driver. He held out his hand and helped her down and then to her great surprise, swooped her up in his arms, carried her into the elevator and only put her down once they were inside their suite. When the bellman was tipped and the door was finally closed he took her in his arms and kissed her with all the passion he’d pent up over the long day and said, ”What would you like to do now my beautiful bride”? She just smiled cheekily, took his hand and led him to the bedroom. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The wedding night. Total salacious smut. Enjoy!

**Chapter 19**

  
Once they entered the bedroom Charlotte let a surprised sigh out to see unlit candles every where, red rose petals on the floor and the bed. Sidney took her in his arms and kissed her gently on the lips. Leaning his head on hers, “I wanted today to be special for us. I had a million ridiculous plans but decided simple was best. I had hoped for this for so long never daring to dream you would ever be my wife, yet here we are today. In this moment I am the happiest I have ever been.”

“Oh, my sweet romantic man, this is perfect.” She leaned up and kissed him.

“Well Wife, as we are here and I am in no hurry. How about a bath to wash off the long day”? He took her hand and led her to the bathroom. He didn’t let her go as he went to the tub to turn the faucet on. Charlotte ran her other hand down his back as he leaned into the tub to test the water. Satisfied, he turned to her and took her in his arms. Looking into her eyes, he just smiled at her. “You are always beautiful, but today you took my breath away in your lovely dress with hair all pinned up and my pearls around your neck. Your feet bare did me in.”

Kissing her tenderly he unbuttoned the back of her dress and slid the zipper down. Standing back from her he hooked his thumbs under the straps of her dress and pulled them off her shoulders and down her arms. He let go and the dress pooled at her feet. Taking a few steps back his eyes went from hers down the length of her body. She was wearing a lovely cream colored bustier with sheer fabric cups that came just above her nipples and soft stays down her stomach, cream garters, panties and stockings to match. He had to swallow and close his eyes for a minute. She was the embodiment of everything he’d always wanted and he was overwhelmed that she was his. 

Smiling at him she stepped to him to unbutton his shirt. She was also in no hurry undoing one at time with feather touches to his skin underneath. He took a deep breath and watched as she undressed him. She placed his cufflinks in his pocket and dropped his shirt to the floor. Sliding her hands down his chest to his waist, she undid his button and zipper and helped him out of his pants. She kneeled down and helped him take them off grazing her finger tips up his legs as she stood up.

Turning her around he undid her corset one hook at a time kissing her shoulders and neck caressing her skin. He knelt down and kissed her at the base of her spine. Sidney unfastened her garters, rolling down one stocking at a time kissing the back of her knees as he did. He then reached for the garter and panties and took them off slowly sliding them down her legs. He took her hand and helped her into the tub sitting her in the center. He stepped in and sat behind her.

They washed each other lovingly talking about the day and how perfect it was. The balmy weather, friends and family to celebrate their union; it was everything they’d wanted. Charlotte asked about their honeymoon and all he would say is that he was taking her somewhere she’d always wanted to go. They used the fluffy white towels to dry each other off. Sidney left her with a kiss to dry her hair.

He patiently lit all the candles, put on the playlist he’d planned for the evening and turned it down low in the background. He went to the closet to pull out the cooler he’d left there earlier and took out the champagne and some cheese, fruit and chocolate. As Charlotte walked out of the bathroom, she admired her husband still in his towel with his back to her. He was just closing the closet door. He turned towards her and smiled his sexy half smile put his hand to the towel and dropped it to the floor. Walking towards her he admired his naked wife. She was lush and round and so sexy with her eyes full of desire.

Lifting her in his arms he carried her to the bed he sat her on the edge and knelt down in front of her. She spread her legs to accommodate him and he snaked his arms around her middle and laid his head on her breasts. Closing his eyes and breathing her in he just stayed that way for a minute. She put her arms around him and held him too. She was feeling just as overwhelmed as he was and understood instinctively he just needed to hold her. He looked up at her “I have so many feelings right now and no words seem to match them. I want all of you, in every way possible, all at once and I simply don’t know where to start”.

“Kiss me”, she whispers to him. “Just kiss me”. She took his face in her hands, her best friend for as long as she could remember and recently her lover, which was beyond her wildest dreams, and now finally her husband. She also couldn’t find the words to express the depths of her feelings for him. She leaned in and kissed him. Just a brush of her lips feather light on his. This simple touch was all it took to ignite all their pent up passion from the day. 

  
❤❤❤❤❤

Laying her back he crawled on to the bed lying between her legs and kissed her as she’d asked, long loving kisses entwining his tongue with hers. Sipping her, nipping, tasting. He reached down between them and placed his himself at her entrance. He just needed to be in her warmth. Nothing else would satisfy this moment. He needed all of her. 

She couldn’t wait to have him so in one swift motion she thrust her hips towards him until he was fully inside her. She moaned his name. He sat like that for a long moment. She was perfect for him. This moment was perfect and he wanted to remember it. Sidney kissed her tenderly and looked in her eyes. “I love you Charlotte. I love you so much more than I can express.”

“Husband, I couldn’t love you any more then I do right now”. Sidney pulled all the way out of her and slowly made his way back in. They both moved their hips in a slow rhythm, looking in each others eyes, building the pleasure. It didn’t take long as they watched each other come undone. Sidney rolled them to the side. Still connected they lay like that for a long time. Eventually Sidney let go of her and got up. Going to the closet he removed a bowl from his bag while grinning at his wife. He went to the bathroom to wash and brought back a towel and warm water for her. When she was clean he put the bowl in the bathroom and came to open the wine. 

“To us”, he said as he handed her a glass of the bubbly drink. He knocked his glass gently into hers and they both sipped smiling over their glasses. “Hungry”? He turned to the food on the table and picked up a strawberry and took a bite. Looking back at his wife, he could see her desire. He offered her a bite and she shook her head.

“Food is not what I’m hungry for my love”. Sidney’s cock jumped at that. He was at a constant state of arousal around her. Suddenly food was the last thing on his mind. He walked back to her and said in a low sultry voice.

“Tell me what you want”. Looking him right in the eyes. 

“I want to have you in my mouth”. 

Sidney closed her legs and crawled over her to straddle her head. Teasing her lips with the tip of his cock, “Is this, what you want”? She smiled a seductive smile and darted her tongue out to lick him. He growled in pleasure, “Oh, Charlotte”. She took him partially into her mouth and sucked on him. Moaning he pushed himself into her mouth gently pumping himself in and out of her. She grabbed him with her hand and stroked him while sucking on his tip. With her other hand she pulled on his balls. He groaned loudly. She could feel him harden more and knew he was close. She let go of him and took his whole length in her mouth and sucked hard while he pumped him self in and out of her. “Charlotte, I can’t hold in anymore…oh Charlotte”. He yelled loudly as he came deep in her throat. His body shook above her. He caught his breath and pulled out of her and moved to kiss her deeply. 

She tasted of him, salty and earthy. It was a hungry kiss full of passion and intensity. The things she did to his body. He could already feel himself hardening again. That he could crave her so much amazed him. It had never been like that before. He had an insatiable need for her. Nibbling on her lips he made his way down to her beautiful breasts kissing and licking here and there avoiding her sensitive nipples for the time being. He put his nose in the valley and inhaled deeply, then kissing each one leaned up and looked at her. She was so beautiful. He loved her so much. The took her breasts in his hands and massaged them taking her nipples between his thumb and forefinger, rolling them and pinching them slightly; watching for her reaction. They became hard in his fingers. He let go to look at her reaction to him. 

Her eyes were hooded, her face pleasantly flushed. Her breasts were moving up and down rapidly with her heavy breaths. He knew exactly what he was doing to her. His knees on either side of her hips he could feel her move against him hungry for more. He leaned in and took her nipple in his mouth. She arched into him and rubbed her wetness against his hardness asking for him. Sucking harder he grazed her with his teeth. She wimpered wonderfully. Sidney loved all the sounds his wife made in pleasure. His hand went to her other breast and he spent time moving his lips, tongue and teeth between her two swollen nipples. The whole time she was rubbing herself seductively against him. 

Sidney could feel how wet she was for him. He worked way down her body nipping and kissing. Licking here and there moving slowly, ever so slowly. He was driving her mad with desire. She couldn’t keep her body still she wanted him so much she felt she may combust. It was pleasurable tourture. Rubbing his nose in her curls she moaned for him wiggling her hips in impatience. Leaning up on his elbows with a cocky smile he looked at his wife and asked her what she wanted.

“You know what I want”.

“Tell me”. 

“Sidney”

“Tell me”!

“I want your mouth on me, Now”.

  
All at once his mouth was on her sucking hard at her most sensitive point. She arched her back mueling in response. The intensity was so unexpected as he’d set a very slow pace. His tongue was everywhere and he went back and fourth sucking and licking. He placed two fingers at her enterance and dipped them in once or twice to get them wet. Then he sucked on her hard and at the same time pushed his fingers into her. His fingers kept pace with his mouth. He was relentless and soon Charlotte was screaming out her orgasam. 

Pleased with his wifes reaction he moved to sit on the bed and pulled her into his lap and plunged himself deep into her in one swift thrust. She was still limp from her convulsions and he held her hips to steady her. Sidney set a punishing pace chasing a third orgasim for her. Up and down, he slammed his body into hers. Sweat was rolling between her breasts and he leaned in to lick the drops. She brought her arms around his neck, his skin slick with his exertions. Charlotte moaned loudly and that only caused him to pick up his pace. He sat up higher changing the angle and her body closed down around him in another strong orgasam. Feeling his wife coming around him sparked his own release as he pumped the last few times in and out of her before becoming still. 

Breathing heavily they both just held on to each other. Turning them so she was on her back he pulled himself away from her, reached for the bowl and went to wash. Cleaning her up he then cuddled up next to her and put his nose in her damp hair. They lay like that for a long while in companionable silence. Finally Sidney whispered in her ear,” Are you well and thouroughly loved, my darling Wife”?

“Hmmm”, was her only response.

Waking up about an hour later, Sidney watched his new wife sleep. She was so peaceful he didn’t want to wake her. He went to the loo to relieve himself and ran some water over his face. Coming back to bed with two bottles of cold water. He put one on the bed side table and drank the other down in one go. Loving was a thirsty business. He smiled to himself. Looking down at her he couldn’t help but touch her again and she stired out of her sleep and smiled up at him. 

“I brought you a water”. She greedily drank hers down too. Grinning at her,”Hungry”? She laughed at him and said yes. He brought the tray of food over and they talked and ate until they were full. He opened the chocolates for dessert. Placing one at her mouth she bit it in half and caramel sauce dripped down her lips. He leaned in to lick her clean and popped the other half in his own mouth smiling when she pouted at him. Reaching for another chocolate, he pulled the box out of her reach laughing when she pouted again. “Let me”. 

He picked another out of the box this time taking a bite out of it first. She sat up and kissed him. “hmmm, you taste like chocolate and strawberry”. He smiled at her and placed the box back on the table deepening the kiss. They spent the rest of the night like this loving, eating, and napping at their pleasure. The woke well after noon and ordered room service. After a hearty meal they took a leisurly shower pleasing each other again before they got dressed. The car Sidney had ordered would be there soon to wisk them to the airport. He’d chartered a private jet for this flight. It was an overnight to LAX for the first leg. The chartered plane had a proper bedroom and he wanted them to be comfortable if not rested when they got to Los Angeles. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for thr long update time on this one. I've been tied up with writing other stories and of course reading them. My family also wants some of my attention too...lol. 
> 
> This chapter finds our honeymooners in Bali. My insperarion for this location came from he movie, "Eat, Pray, Love" . Great coming of age and it's never too late to find yourself movie. Definitely a chick flick unless you have a really unusual man like Sidney in your life, so great for a girls night in. 
> 
> S&C are on honeymoon so there is plenty of salaciousness. Charlotte doesnt know it yet, but they are headed to Thailand, Florence, and Paris next, in that order. Let me know what you you'd like to see them doing in those cities. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 20

  
Charlotte was a bit put out with her new husband since he wouldn’t give her any clues as to their destination. It was a private chartered flight so she didn’t have the help of any signs at the airport to give her a clue. Sidney thought her reaction was funny. He loved that pouty look on her face. It reminded him of the night before when he’d finished her chocolate. He felt himself harden at the thought. He was absolutely in her power. His no longer had any control over his body. He had been truly enjoying the passion between them ever since they’d become lovers, but there was something different about making love to his wife. His wife…He couldn’t believe she was his wife. He had waited a long time thinking it impossible, but here they were on their honeymoon. 

Thinking back to last night on the plane he had always thought the mile high club was a little ridiculous, but he had to say now that it was the best way to fly. Not a quickie in some dirty on flight bathroom, but on a private flight with a bed it had been fantastic. The best experience he’d ever had on an airplane. They had stopped in Doha for refueling and to stretch their legs. Sidney suggested they go into the club dining room in the airport to get some breakfast. Charlotte had no idea where they were. The hostess at the club spoke English with a heavy accent that was unusual to her ear, but she couldn’t place it. She had lovely olive skin and dark eyes and hair suggesting a Middle Eastern country, but she couldn’t be sure. Sidney was quick to interject if she asked any questions about where they were. He was enjoying this game even though he knew it frustrated his wife. 

Back onboard the plane Sidney was yawning. Charlotte suggested that after take off they go back to bed and get some sleep. She laughingly commented that someone had kept her up with their insatiable needs last night and she was quite tired.

“Seems to me that I was just being thorough, wife and you woke me the last time. I was peacefully asleep with you in my arms having a lovely dream of my beautiful wife with her hands on…”

Sidney was interrupted by the flight attendant checking that they were belted in and comfortable before take off. Charlotte laughed out loud when her husband’s cheeks flushed. He laughed along with her embarrassed at being overheard. She suggested perhaps they should finish that conversation later when they were alone. Charlotte asked for a clue as to where they were going. He was quiet for a moment thinking, then with a satisfied smirk on his face, all Sidney would tell her was that it would be warm and she wouldn’t need much clothing. She huffed and looked out the window as the plane lifted off the ground. 

Once they were allowed to move around the cabin Sidney stood and held out his hand to her. She took it without question and he helped her up. They went to the bedroom, undressed and got into bed. She curled up against him and they fell asleep quickly. Some hours later they were awakened by a knock on the door. The flight attendant informing them they were about an hour from their destination. Charlotte asked if they were finally here and Sidney told her this was just a stop for refueling. He helped her into a robe and some slippers. They wouldn’t have to get off the plane this time and they could eat while they were seated. 

“Did you sleep well, Luv”?

“Yes”, she answered. “And You?”

“Quite well…I feel refreshed.”

“Will this be the last flight, or is there more? Surely we’ve almost gone around the world at this point?”

“Last flight, I promise. Only half way around the world actually. You’ve been very patient. I hope you will like my surprise.”

“We will see Parker…It had better be good.”

“I am sure you will be more then satisfied”

He loved her cheek. It was something he had always admired about Charlotte. She was never afraid to voice her opinions, no matter the situation. Charlotte was annoyed that he wouldn’t tell her where they were going, but only mildly. It was really sweet and romantic that he wanted to surprise her so she was trying to be patient, but she didn’t want to make it too easy for him. They chatted about the wedding while they ate and also talked about places they would like to visit. This flight was only about three hours so when they were done eating they decided on a shower. They tried to make love in the shower, but the space on the plane was too small for two people to maneuver. Turning the water back off, he took her standing against the door in the small bathroom. It was fast and hard like they were both craving. 

Once their passion was consumed they took turns in the shower. Sidney knew it would be hot and humid when they landed so he laid out a light weight cotton sundress for her and some comfortable sandals. When she got out of the shower she didn’t question why he laid out her clothes. She just smiled at him and got dressed. Sidney was surprised by this. He’d expected some cheeky commentary about how she could pick out her own clothes. Charlotte knew that not making any comments was driving her husband nuts. Two could play at this game. She’d decided she would just go along for the ride and see where he took her. 

When they descended the plane stairs Sidney took her in his arms before she had any chance to look around. He kissed her with passion and then rested his head on hers breathing heavily. She couldn’t believe how hot it was when they had opened the door. It hit her like a brick wall and she felt she already needed another shower. 

“Welcome to Bali Luv”, he said with a big smile on his face.

Her face lit with a beautiful answering smile and she kissed him again. Sidney had a car waiting for them. He had arranged for a bungalow on a private cove with no one around for miles. When they pulled up to the place Charlotte couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. The little house if you could call it that was all open and airy, no real walls except for the bathroom and kitchen areas. It was mostly one big room with the kitchen and bath off to one side. A huge bed off to left side all draped in netting and a view of the beach from where they were standing with the most beautiful clear blue water she’d ever seen. In the center was a sitting area with comfy chairs and tables. Outside all around was a water garden with rock pools and blooming flowers and a meandering path to the beach. The bungalow was surrounded by a dense copes of palm trees giving them total privacy. It was like a fairy tale. She almost expected to see little flying wood nymphs. Instead there were large dragon flies with blue and green wings.

Sidney watched her delighted face and knew he’d made a good choice for their first week abroad. The driver placed all their luggage on the porch for them and said goodbye. The couple who came to greet them let them know that the kitchen was stocked and there were extra linens in the bathroom. They were only a phone call away if they needed anything, but no one would bother them unless they were called. He thanked them and after they’d gone took Charlotte in his arms and kissed her. She kissed him back and told him that this was beyond her wildest dreams and couldn’t be more perfect. 

Sidney deepened the kiss and as it got heated he picked her up and carried her to the bed. He sat her down and gathered the straps of her dress in each of his hands and pushed them off her shoulders dropping the dress to her waist. She was wearing a little lacy bra that matched the dress. Leaning in to kiss her she unbuttoned his shorts dropping the zipper and slid his shorts and boxer briefs down over his hips. They dropped to his feet. Sidney pushed the bra down in front and under her breasts which pushed them up in a lovely seductive way. Charlotte pulled at the hem of his shirt and knowing what she wanted, he removed it for her and stepped out of his shorts and shoes. She admired her husband standing ready before her. She thought he was so breathtaking and still wasn’t used to the idea that he was all hers for the rest of her life. Sidney kissed her again palming her breasts and teasing her nipples with the flat of his hands. 

She placed her hands on his hips caressing him sliding them up and down his sides slowly and then around to caress his beautiful back side. Kissing his stomach she pulled him closer. Sidney helped her remove her dress, then her bra and panties. She loved the look on his face, pure desire for her. He’d given her that look when they were younger too, many times but she was too young to know what it meant then. Now that look fueled her own desire. She took his hands and pulled him down to her on the bed enjoying the weight of him. 

Sidney buried his face in her neck kissing her with wet opened mouth kisses, licking and biting his way down her body. She knew his destination. He liked to start their lovemaking by tasting her and giving her pleasure. He was a generous lover and never left her wanting. Even when he found his pleasure first he was always sure to satisfy her. It wasn’t long before she came on his tongue and he slowed his pace to give her a little time to calm. When her breathing was back to normal he picked up the pace again wanting more from her. He kept this up until she begged him to be inside her. Giving his wife what she asked for he opened her legs and thrust himself into her hot flesh, both moaning their fulfillment. They came together and laid breathing heavily in the tangled bedding. 

After some time had slipped by Sidney asked if she was hungry. With no one around for miles there was no reason to get dressed, so they walked naked to the kitchen. While she was tidying the dishes, Sidney suggested a swim. Charlotte was shocked when Sidney, naked as the day he was born, towel in hand walked out of the bungalow and down to the path to the beach. Looking back at the astonished look on his wife’s face he told her to join him when she was finished. He smiled to himself when he saw her a few minutes later following his lead. His beautiful naked wife walking towards him in the water.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think.  
> I have not edited it very much yet, just for basic typos, so please forgive that.  
> This is a work in progress and I would love your feed back. I would consider continuing the story line if enough of you are interested. I would love suggestions for where you want the story to go, or scenes you'd love to see. If I use your scene idea I will give you credit in the notes.  
> As always I am humbled by all our great Sanditon fanfic writers who have kept me sane through a long period of sheltering in. I am also grateful for all the lovely readers out there who take their time to read. You might not be a writer, but I know you have unique ideas and you know what you like to read, so I'd love to hear your ideas too.  
> Thanks,  
> RMHraga


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